A HEAVILY pregnant woman was punched and kicked by her former partner before he dragged her into their home where the attack continued, a court has heard.

Aaron Blagg carried out the violent attack in March this year despite knowing that his victim was in the latter stages of pregnancy.

Teesside Crown Court heard that the young woman screamed at him to stop shouting: "Stop, you'll hurt the baby". but that attack continued.

While he was in custody for the assault, he continued to contact his former partner from prison where he issued a series of threats against her and her family after initially offering her £3,000 to change her evidence.

The court heard how Blagg launched the brutal attack on Thornton Street, North Ormesby, Middlesbrough.

Robin Turton, prosecuting, said: “He walked up to her and punched her to the side of her head and then he started to kick her while she was on the floor. He then dragged her into the house and jumped on her stomach – she thought he was going to kill her.”

The victim managed to break free and barricade herself in the bathroom where she called the police and Blagg fled the scene.

The court heard Blagg called his former partner from prison and his calls become more aggressive and threatening and at one point he even offered her £3,000 to change her evidence.

In mitigation, James Bourne-Arton said his client had become angry as he believed his former partner had started another relationship and that most of the threats were in relation to that, not his impending trial.

Sentencing Blagg, Judge Howard Crowson said: “This was a sustained attack and you knew that she was heavily pregnant.”

The 21-year-old, who admitted a charge assault occasioning actual bodily harm and another of intimidating a witness, was sentenced to 18 months and four months consecutively. He was also ordered to a £140 victim surcharge and issued with a five-year restraining order to protect his former partner.