A MAN with a history of violence strangled, slapped and kneed his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach when their “turbulent” relationship came to an end.

Curtis Handy, 25, from Cwmbran, assaulted her twice when she was carrying their baby.

He first attacked her on March 13 when she came to his flat, Newport Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Nik Strobl said: “He pinned her to the wall and held her by the throat and there were multiple slaps to her face.

“She had phoned a friend and left the call open so that he could hear the argument unfold.

“The friend got into his car and drove over to the defendant’s flat.

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“He shouted over to her to ask her if she was OK before the defendant turned his attention to him.

“The defendant punched him to the face causing an injury to his lip and the friend tried to restrain him before he was headbutted several times.”

Handy caused injuries to the man’s face and nose.

After being arrested and bailed he went on to assault the woman again on April 30.

This attack happened in the early hours of the morning after she went to his flat when Handy “told her he would end his own life”.

Mr Strobl told the court: “Things suddenly became volatile and the defendant became aggressive towards her.

“She was sat on the bed and he grabbed her by the throat and squeezed her neck.

“This meant that she was struggling to breathe and she asked him to stop.

“The defendant pushed her backward on to the mattress and proceeded to knee her in the stomach.

“He then pinned her by the throat and pushed her backwards again onto the mattress before slapping her to the face multiple times.”

Handy, of Taliesin, admitted intentional strangulation, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assault by beating.

He had previous convictions for battery and wounding.

Hilary Roberts, mitigating, asked the court to take into account his client’s guilty pleas.

He added: “The defendant has moved on in terms of the relationship.

“He knows it is dead and does not want to revive it.

“The defendant is sorry and looks back with great remorse.”

The judge, Recorder Paul Lewis KC, told Handy: “You have a history of violence on your record which aggravates your position vis à vis these current offences.

“In 2016 you were convicted of battery and in 2017 a suspended sentence was imposed upon you for the offence of wounding.

“You breached that suspended sentence and with that you were sent into custody for 10 months.”

Handy was jailed for 27 months.