A MAN has been jailed after he repeatedly punched his ex-girlfriend, breaking her nose.
Richard Hudson had been drinking when he attacked Zoe Bestwick at his home in Attenborough Lane, Attenborough.
He punched her in the nose as she left his house with some of her belongings in February, Nottingham Crown Court heard.
He grabbed her as she went downstairs and dragged her back upstairs, where he punched her a number of times. Hudson then stopped the attack and allowed her to leave.
She called police and he was arrested in his home, which was strewn with beer cans, the court was told.
At court, Hudson admitted assault causing actual bodily harm.
She suffered a broken nose, cuts and bruising.
Judge Michael Stokes QC, the Recorder of Nottingham, sentenced Hudson to two years and three months and imposed a five-year restraining order.
"The court will not tolerate women being beaten in this vicious way by drunken men with whom they are in a relationship."
Hudson, 39, and 22-year-old Miss Bestwick spit up after being together for six years, the court heard.
Mark Knowles, prosecuting, said: "There were problems in the past in the relationship. She received black eyes and bruised lips and a fracture to her cheekbone.
Police had been called a number of times.
"She had not pursued what should have been complaints."
Even though the couple separated in November 2012, they stayed in contact by text messages.
When she visited him on February 26, she arrived unexpectedly to collect some shoes.
She stayed for some time, put the shoes in a bag, but couldn't find other belongings.
"She told him she was leaving and tried to put some beer cans she had in a bag. They were having a drink at the time.
"This defendant approached her, clenched his fist to her face. Words were exchanged and he punched her to the nose. She picked up her bags and got downstairs. The defendant grabbed her and dragged her back upstairs and punched her in the face a number of times."
Hudson had a previous conviction for battery on Miss Bestwick in 2009.
Hudson had also sent abusive text messages to her mother's new partner, which resulted in Hudson being banned from contacting him.
In mitigation, Matthew Smith said Hudson was now in a new relationship that was free of violence.
