A SCARBOROUGH man has admitted to assaulting his heavily pregnant girlfriend as she cradled a young child in her arms.
Scarborough Magistrates' Court heard that John Hood, 33, of Castle Road, grabbed his partner around the neck, pushed her on to a sofa and slapped her in the face on July 15, after an argument between the couple.
Martin Butterworth, prosecuting, s
aid that the woman was eight months pregnant at the time of the attack.
He added: "There had been problems in the relationship and they came to a head.
"She left after an argument in the morning and when she returned Mr Hood was in drink, demanding to know where she had been and trying to view her mobile phone.
"He then grabbed her around the throat and pushed her. Not only was she pregnant, but she had a child in her arms who obviously became distressed. He then slapped her about the face. She suffered swelling, reddening and bruising to her neck."
After Hood was arrested, he said in a police interview that he remembered rowing with his girlfriend and slapped her because she was "behaving hysterically".
Hood said he couldn't remember grabbing his partner by the neck, or her holding a child at the time. However he admitted he "couldn't remember half" of the incident.
Mr Butterworth said that Hood had a history of domestic violence, having been ordered to complete a domestic abuse programme in 2008 after he was convicted of affray.
Ian Brickman, mitigating, said that his client had cooperated with police and shown "significant remorse" for his actions.
He added: "Mr Hood was in drink and has a limited recollection. He has concerns about his issues with alcohol.
"The argument started because of his concerns about possible infidelity. They have been together for two-and-a-half years. She has two young children from a previous relationship and clearly she is expecting a child to Mr Hood.
"He accepts what he did was completely unacceptable and is disgusted with himself. Happily there doesn't seem to have been any significant injury but it was clearly a distressing incident for all concerned."
Edrene Rumley, the chairman of the bench, told Hood that a pre-sentence report would have to be prepared before his punishment was decided.
She said: "We view this offence very seriously. We are not thinking of sending you to prison, but we have heard about some very disturbing factors."
Hood was granted conditional bail and will be sentenced on August 18.
