Pregnant girlfriend kicked in face

7:51am Tuesday 22nd January 2008

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A man from Putney has been handed a four-month suspended sentence after he was found guilty of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend.

South Western Magistrates heard last Friday how the 23-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, assaulted his seven-month pregnant girlfriend by putting his foot on her face, following a heated argument.

The defendant told the court how his difficult upbringing, in addition to a 10-year addiction to cannabis, had led him to become depressed. And, since his arrest, he had been affected by panic attacks.

Deputy District Judge Carroll said: "This case has passed the prison threshold, a suspended prison sentence will be imposed. This was an extremely serious assault on a young woman who was pregnant."

After the defendant was given his sentence, the judge declared that a custodial sentence would be imposed should he re-offend within the next 12 months.

In addition to the suspended sentence, conditions of the sentence included a 12-month supervision order plus the attendance of an integrated domestic abuse programme.

He was ordered to pay court costs of £100 as well as £200 compensation to his now ex-girlfriend. Reporting restrictions were put in place because the defendant and victim's child was due to be born on January 16.