A FATHER repeatedly punched a police officer in the face after he intervened in a domestic dispute at the man's home.

The policeman heard shouting from his neighbour's house and went round to see Andrew Bennett lying on top of his wife, Susanne, and screaming at his two children.

South Durham Magistrates' Court was told that Bennett, 26, was heard making threats to kill his wife at their family home in Maidendale Road, Darlington.

Rachel Masters, prosecuting, said the police officer, whose name is being kept anonymous, shouted through the window at Bennett to get off his wife and stop being a bully.

Bennett then answered the door to the policeman and, following a verbal dispute, hit him in the face a number of times. Miss Masters said the victim suffered swelling to his right eye and jaw, a half-inch cut to his face, discomfort to his neck and shock and nausea.

Bennett pleaded guilty to assaulting the police officer occasioning actual bodily harm and to assaulting his wife.

Chris Bunting, in mitigation, said Bennett had been having problems with his wife at the time and accepted they had a huge row where he became violent.

"The majority of what he did was damage to property. He punched the bedroom door," said Mr Bunting.

He said Bennett had hold of his wife during a heated argument and admitted assaulting her.

Mr Bunting said: "His neighbour heard something going on and took it upon himself to come round and bang on the window quite loudly."

He said that following the assault in August, Bennett had moved out of his family home to live with his mother in Norwich Grove, Darlington.

Mr Bunting said his client was desperate to reconcile his differences with his wife and build on his relationship with his children.

He asked magistrates to lift bail conditions preventing him from entering Maidendale Road.

The bench, sitting in Darlington, refused the request and adjourned proceedings until 10am, on December 9, for a pre-sentence report to be drawn up, with a view to considering a community punishment.