A JEALOUS man assaulted his girlfriend while on bail for knocking out a lorry driver he thought he made a pass at her.

Jake Arnold-Bygraves was also on a suspended sentence for two other attacks on the woman when he punched his first victim.

And both new offences took place while the 24-year-old was on another suspended sentence imposed for being involved in the trade in cannabis.

Now Arnold-Bygraves has been jailed for 14 months after a judge pointed out he was lucky to have just been charged with common assault for the attack on the trucker.

Tim Hills, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how an HGV driver and a colleague parked up in Wroughton for the night on Thursday January 26.

After having a couple of drinks they had gone to a kebab shop when the defendant and his girlfriend arrived.

She went in while the defendant stood outside and while she was waiting for her food the HGV driver leaned over and complimented her on her perfume.

“The defendant got the impression he had touched her indecently, which was not in fact the case,” Mr Hills said.

“When the driver came out of the shop he was challenged by the defendant. Despite being urged by her to leave it out he clenched his fist and punched the driver one blow to the face causing him to fall over, cut his head, and bleed.”

He said the victim was knocked out by the blow, coming to in the back of the ambulance taking him to hospital.

Arnold-Bygraves told the police that he thought he was within his rights to launch the assault.

Mr Hills said he was on bail awaiting trial for that matter the couple had another row and she decided to leave the property. He followed after her, claiming she had his phone, and pushed her from behind causing her to fall to the ground.

A passing member of the public asked what he was doing and she replied that it wasn’t the first time he had done it. When they went back inside he told her to tell police she slipped if the witness called them, a story he stuck to when he was arrested.

Arnold-Bygraves, of Victoria Cross Road, Wroughton, denied two counts of common assault but was convicted in his absence after failing to turn up for both trials.

Tony Bignall, defending, said that his client gets anxiety attacks which is one of the reasons he did not attend the magistrates court for his trials.

He said he had been working for a waste company but he has now lost that job and was also doing well on the community order.

Jailing him Judge Robert Pawson said “You have got a criminal record for 14 convictions covering 30 offences over the course of 10 years or so.

“One of the things that had plagued you, it seems to me from what I have read and heard, is jealousy and possessiveness of women with whom you are in a relationship.”