A SERIAL domestic abuser has been jailed for 28 weeks after the latest in a series of assaults against the same victim.

Daniel Coxhead from Croft Road appeared at Swindon Magistrates Court on Monday and pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman who recently ended a seven month relationship with him.

The 33-year-old had been given a 20-week suspended sentence on Wednesday, August 9 for an assault on the same woman.

Prosecutor Keith Ballinger explained how Coxhead carried out his most recent offence. He said: “The victim ended her relationship with him because he had been violent in the past. On August 12, she left her house with three friends to go to a nearby park for a smoke. She hadn’t wanted to leave on her own because she was worried he would be waiting for her outside.”

One of the group saw Coxhead squatting behind a van across the road and a confrontation in the park between the former couple followed soon afterwards.

Mr Ballinger added: “He waved a bottle of vodka over his head and threatened her. As a result, she pushed him away from them and she was struck with a punch to the right hand side of her face.

Coxhead was later found on top of a vehicle by police. Mr Ballinger added: “It took officers hours to talk him down as he threatened to harm himself if sent to prison.”

Defence solicitor Mark Glendenning said: “It wasn’t his intention to see the victim. She was abusive to him first, he said he didn’t want to cause any problems. She slapped him and he reacted by slapping back. It was not a punch. He could have walked away at any point but he has an issue with coming to terms with the end of the relationship.

"She pressed his buttons and he reacted.”

“My client is an emotional, vulnerable man, he has difficulty expressing himself and he tends not to think.”

After adjourning to decide Coxhead’s fate, chairman of the bench James Stokesberry said: “We did discuss long and hard whether we should give you another chance but unfortunately we will activate the suspended sentence due to the fact that this offence is against the same victim.”

In addition to the 20 weeks in prison from the no-longer-suspended sentence, Coxhead will be in custody for a further eight weeks for this newest assault. He must pay £85 in costs and a £115 victim surcharge.