A FATHER-of-three has been sentenced to eight months in jail, partly due to his “history of violence” against a woman.

Charlie Bell, of Cumberland Avenue, Brighton Hill, appeared at Winchester Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced after he had earlier been found guilty of one count of causing actual bodily harm (ABH) and one count of assault by beating.

Bell had also pleaded guilty to breaching a restraining order which was placed on him in January of this year.

The 34-year-old was arrested on June 22 last year following an incident where he had a “tussle” with a female who he was banned from seeing.

This eventually resulted in him nudging his car into her, hitting her knees with the bumper of his vehicle.

Prosecuting, Gary Venturi said that four days earlier, he had punched and bitten the same victim.

Mr Venturi said: “When the police turned up, the woman had said she had been chased with a rake and had been pulled all around the house before managing to get free.”

A victim impact statement was read to the court, during which time Bell only looked at the floor of the dock.

The statement said: “I was always afraid and felt that I was being watched and it really impacted on my confidence.

“He has completely destroyed me.”

The court heard during the incident on June 22, Bell had not only nudged the victim with a car but had also grabbed her by the throat.

Defending Bell, Thomas Wilkins, said that he is undergoing psychiatric treatment.

However, Bell contests the outcome of the actual bodily harm and common assault counts, continuing to claim the victims accounts were false.

Mr Wilkins said: “He does not accept her account of what happened during the two incidents in June.”

In sentencing, Recorder Oba Nsugbe QC said: “It is very clear that there is a history of repeated violence on this woman which is completely unjustifiable.

“There is no excuse for this kind of pattern violence which from the victim impact statement has left a woman permanently scarred by your behaviour.”

Bell was given four months for the breach, three months for the ABH and one month for common assault, to run consecutively.

Bell was told that once he served his sentence he would be eligible to taking part in a building better relationships programme.