A MAN burst a blood vessel in his girlfriend's face when she told him she was breaking up with him, a court has heard.

Peter Mark Cooper was driving with his partner on the M3 in Basingstoke in September 2020 when the assault happened.

Basingstoke Magistrates' Court heard how the 31-year-old slapped her across the face with the back of his hand three times.

Prosecutor David Fossler explained that the victim had told Cooper that she wanted to end the relationship when he asked to meet her for a coffee and a drive, "to find out why the relationship was over".

But as they were on their way back home to Surrey, Cooper became angry and started shouting at her.

"He said 'I am going to beat you'," Mr Fossler told the court, quoting the victim's statement to police. "I started crying and begging him to let me out.

"He was verbally aggressive, calling me a b**** and a c***."

It was when the pair stopped at traffic lights at junction 6 that she saw an "opportunity" to run out of the vehicle and towards a bus.

Describing the victim as "vulnerable", Mr Fossler continued: "She is a young woman locked in a car with nowhere to go."

However, Cooper's solicitor, Alfie Doran, told the court that his client had "made full and frank admissions" in police interview around a week after the attack, and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

"He is very open and very honest," he continued. "He held his hands up at the very early stage."

Magistrates decided to adjourn the case for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

Cooper, of Wishmoor Road in Camberley, was released on unconditional bail, pending sentencing on March 22 at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court.