A ‘devout Christian’ who whipped his wife with a belt after she confronted him about condoms she found in the car has been jailed for 20 months.

Festo Mgimba, who she suspected had been seeing prostitutes, also throttled her in front of their child during the ‘vicious’ attack.

And during the prolonged incident the 30-year-old also said that he was done with white people, Swindon Crown Court heard.

Now his wife and young child have had to flee their home to live in a refuge as a result of the violence.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting, said the couple met in February 2012 and married six months later.

The victim said the relationship was good until 2014 when she discovered he had a child in Tanzania, and he started to become physical when they argued.

After splitting for a while they got back together and had a child in March 2016, living in The Birches, near Coate Water.

Mr Meeke said “She says that he appeared to be a devout Christian, reading the Bible every day, but he was also extremely controlling.”

He blocked her number, used her car and then she found the condoms in her car which he said he had to protect himself when seeing prostitutes.

On Tuesday July 24 she confronted him and he said he was done with white people and it was only black people for him from now on.

After telling her she couldn’t talk to him like that he punched and slapped her then pushed her on to the bed and stamped on her belly.

The violence calmed but as he went for her again she tried to protect herself by grabbing his genitals before he whipped her with his belt.

When she took one from him he got another and continued to hit her with it leaving her covered in bruises.

Mr Meeke said during the attack their two-year-old child saw some of the violence, even though the defendant put him in the toilet at one point.

Mgimba, who gave the court an address in Reading, pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm.

Richard Williams, defending, said his client was sorry for what he had done and hoped the relationship may rekindle again in the future.

Jailing him Judge Jason Taylor QC said “This was a vicious and cowardly and highly aggressive assault.

“A child was present. Both the victim and child have been compelled to leave home and are now in a refuge.”