A MAN who punched and bit his partner after they argued over money being spent on either drugs or food has been jailed.

Craig Holroyd became aggressive and agitated when the woman refused to give him £20 to buy cannabis when she needed to feed the pair and her two young children.

The 23-year-old attacked the woman, who has now ended her relationship with him, as they walked through Hartlepool on March 23, Teesside Magistrates Court heard.

Paul Doney, prosecuting, said Holroyd and his former partner were on their way to Asda when the violent row erupted just after midnight.

Reading from the victim's statement, he said: "He grabbed hold of me and he pushed me back. I tried to walk away but he his best to stop me.

"I managed to get away and walked towards my house, he then grabbed hold of me, pushed me against a wall and hit me to he face and bit my face."

Mr Doney said a member of the public came across to intervene and the police were called who arrested the defendant and took pictures of her injuries.

The court heard that on two occasions after the incident, the victim returned to the home she had shared with Holroyd to pick up belongings and found him in the house.

Mr Doney said the defendant was already serving a community order sentence for an assault on his father last year.

Holroyd, of Hastings Place, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm.

In mitigation, Martin Scarborough, said his client didn't dispute the attack taking place or the injuries caused to his now-former partner.

Physical abuse at the hands of his father had resulted in his client 'struggling with mental health issues, particularly his anger', he added.

District Judge Helen Cousins said: "It's something that I often say that those who were abused as children, boys turn out abusive and girls turn out to be abused, but that is no excuse for your behaviour."

The judge rescinded Holroyd's community order and passed a 12 weeks custodial sentence for his attack on his father and a further 24-week-consecutive sentence for the attack on his former partner.