A DRUNK driver followed the car his girlfriend had flagged down to escape him, then rammed it, forced it to stop, and beat her up in the street.

Scott Teague then assaulted a retired policeman who tried to disarm him of a tyre lever.

Teague, 21, of The Links, Trevethin, Pontypool, is starting a 14-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to dangerous driving, driving with excess alcohol, possessing an offensive weapon, and two assaults. He was also disqualified from driving for two years.

A hearing at Newport Crown Court was told that Teague's girlfriend flagged down a motorist at around 7.15am on Sunday February 4, and asked if she would phone the police and take her to her mother's home in Coed Eva, Cwmbran.

The driver agreed, said prosecuting counsel Gareth James, but the woman "became distressed and worried that the defendant would follow. That is what happened".

"The defendant approached from behind driving an Audi, deliberately drove into the back of the Peugeot, passed it and pulled in front, forcing it stop. He then went to the Peugeot and started to assault his girlfriend."

The incident happened in Belle Vue Road, Cwmbran. Teague dragged her across the road, and repeatedly hit her in the face and upper body as she lay across a bush, said Mr James.

The retired policeman and his wife came upon the scene and he persuaded Teague to stop. His wife took her to their car, but Teague went to his, got out a tyre lever, and swung it around while approaching the women.

The former officer was gouged in the face and had his private parts grabbed after pulling Teague down. He and another passing motorist finally subdued him until the police arrived.

The court was told Teague's actions were completely out of character and came after he, his girlfriend and other friends spent the previous day watching rugby and drinking into the early hours.

They argued, his girlfriend left, and he wanted her to return. He is remorseful, happy to pay compensation for the car damage, and said the retired policeman was injured when Teague was having difficulty breathing while being restrained.

Sentencing Teague, Judge Tom Crowther QC told him he caused "a deliberate collision, that you engendered to be able to commit offences of violence". He had also "used a weapon in circumstances that were acutely dangerous."