A MAN left his partner needing ten stitches to a head wound after throwing his mobile phone at her during an angry row, a court heard.

Michael Claydon reacted angrily to being locked out of his former home in Darlington when he returned in the early hours of July 4.

Teesside Crown Court heard the father-of one threw the phone at the mother of his child during a heated argument when she asked him where he had been and demanded to look at it while he was demanding to know where she had been.

Harry Hadfield, prosecuting, said: "They began arguing downstairs and they then moved upstairs where the argument continued. He was impolite to her, to say the least, and he threw a mobile phone at her forehead. He has split the victim's head open and called his mother to help him take her to hospital where she received ten stitches for her wound."

In a victim impact statement the 34-year-old said she was worried that the scar on her head would affect her 'self confidence'.

Claydon, who was appearing in court via videolink from Durham Prison, shouted out: "It was an accident man; It was the mother of my baby – I didn't mean to hurt her."

On September 28, the defendant returned to his victim's home and kicked his way into the property to retrieve some of his belongings, the court heard. The police were called and when they arrived at the scene Claydon pushed the officer to the floor and tried to flee the scene before the PC threatened to deploy her Taser and arrested him.

Mr Hadfield told the court that the policewoman felt the attack was 'demoralising' and told how she 'didn't come to work to be assaulted, she came to work to protect people'.

He said the day after hitting his partner with the phone Claydon was jailed for eight weeks for an unrelated incident.

The 28-year-old, formerly of Darlington, pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding criminal damage and assault on an emergency worker.

In mitigation, Ben Pegman, said his client never intended to cause any injury and said the pair hope to renew their relationship when he is released from prison.

Judge Deborah Sherwin said: "I take into account that you didn't intend to hit her or cause the serious injury that you did but it did cause a serious injury and it needed ten stitches and will leave a scar in a prominent place."

Claydon was jailed for 20 months for unlawful wounding and given a two month consecutive sentence for assault and one month concurrent for criminal damage.