A NEWPORT man who attacked an ex-partner before driving her around rural country lanes with her head in headlock has been jailed.

The terrified victim, who said she "thought he was going to finish me off", managed to escape from the car and ran through a gap in a roadside hedge before hiding in a field.

Richard Jones, 45, of Jeans Close, Malpas, was jailed for 15 months at Cardiff Crown Court this morning.

He had pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one count of breaching his restraining order.

Jones had been subject to a restraining order against victim Amanda Channing for less than two months when he attacked her on March 18 this year.

Ex-partner Ms Channing was with her mother and a friend when she began receiving constant messages from Jones.

Jones went round to her mum's house where she was staying and told her to come outside to the car for a chat.

When Ms Channing got in the car, he drove her to the Ibis hotel in Malpas Road before assaulting her, grabbing her face and tearing an earring from her ear.

Jones then said he would take Ms Channing home, but while driving he tried to grab her mobile phone and trapped her head in headlock.

Prosecution Claire Wilks said: "He was driving through country lanes, he had her in headlock and punched her in the face.

"She was screaming for him to stop."

Eventually the victim managed to open the door and get out but Jones reversed the car into her, catching her hip.

He then continued the attack, punching her in the right eye.

She said the pain was "incredible".

"I was scared he was going to finish me off," she added.

The victim then saw a small gap in the hedge at the side of the road and ran into a field of cows.

Ms Wilks said: "She hid and he was not able to find her so he gave up."

Ms Channing stayed hidden in the field and rang her mother before trying to shout for help from a nearby house.

A car driven by a female student stopped to pick up the victim, who was described as having a "black right eye, lumps on the forehead, blood on her face and was crying".

Ms Wilks said: "She kept saying she thought he was going to kill her."

Following the assault, Jones visited the house of another former partner where he confessed what he'd done. He then went to stay in a hotel until March 31 when he was arrested.

Huw Wallace, defending, said Jones had not had the "easiest start in life".

But Mr Wallace said: "He accepts full responsibility."

Judge Michael Burr sentenced Jones to 15 months in prison for each count, to be served concurrently. He also ordered him to pay a £100 victim surcharge.

Judge Barr said: "It seems clear that you had very little inclination to comply with the terms of the order.

"It is quite clear from your own history you were well aware of the importance of avoiding any physical confrontation."