A woman who returned home from a birthday night out with her partner because he was in a mood over a prank ended up being assaulted in her own home.

The victim was eventually able to escape and run to her father’s address to get help.

Thomas Adam Jackson, 26, of Scotland Street in Ellesmere, Shropshire, admitted assaulting Heather Edwards at her home in Ewloe on November 20.

Jackson also admitted damaging her ipad, which he threw out of the window, and her wardrobe.

He was placed on a 12-month community order under which he must carry out 220 hours of unpaid work.

District Judge Gwyn Jones ordered him to pay £320 compensation for the wardrobe, £31.90 to repair the ipad, together with £85 prosecution costs and an £85 surcharge.

He also ordered him to pay £400 compensation for her injuries and trauma.

The judge said that on a night out in Chester a minor incident was blown out of all proportion.

There was no rhyme or logic why he reacted as he did, the judge said.

His level of aggression should have gone down during the journey back to Flintshire but matters got worse when they arrived back at her home.

“You were still seething and used unlawful force upon her,” he said.

She would have been totally and utterly terrified by what he had done and did not know what he was going to do next.

Immediate custody would be more than justified. But he had never been in trouble before, he immediately admitted what he had done, and he was in full-time employment.

Rhian Jackson, prosecuting, said the couple had been in a relationship since last August. Throughout the short relationship he had been fine and had never been violent towards her.

On November 20 the couple went for a meal in Chester for her birthday, they first had a drink in a social club and a male stranger approached and removed a crown from her head which she was wearing for her birthday.

Jackson began to shout at the man, things got out of hand and she and her friends ushered him away to prevent matters escalating.

Outside he was very angry, did not calm down and due to his behaviour it was decided to take him home.

In the taxi on the way home he was on the phone and she believed he was talking to his mother.

As they arrived home, he asked her to talk to his mother, she refused in the circumstances and without warning he pushed her to the left shoulder, causing her to fall to the floor.

She was shocked, and inside the flat he was still on the phone, storming around and shouting.

When she again refused to talk to his mother, he pushed her causing her to fall against the wardrobe door, which was damaged. She became upset and was crying.

The prosecutor said the complainant was scared because it was completely out of character for him.

She covered her face with both hands to protect herself and she felt something strike her left leg although she did not see what it was. She just felt the pain.

The complainant got up and ran towards the front door to get away but the defendant grabbed her from behind and pulled her back, causing her to fall onto the settee.

It was alleged that he put his hand over her mouth as she was screaming.

Mrs Jackson said the defendant put his face directly in front of the complainant’s face and he was screaming at her with a horrible look on his face.

He held her down for a short time before letting her go.

When he went to the bedroom she ran to her father’s house around the corner and the police were called.

During the incident he had thrown her ipad out of the window and the screen smashed.

She believed that he had about 11 drinks, mostly pints but also some shorts.

The victim suffered bruising and scratching as a result of what he had done.

She did not know why he had acted in the way that he did. She had never seen him behave in such a way before and it genuinely scared her, she said.

The complainant had not provoked him in any way and she had not seen him since. The relationship was now over.

Arrested and interviewed, the defendant told police: “I did it. I did exactly what she said I did.”

In Chester they met up with her friends, he was drunk and there was an altercation with the man who took her birthday crown off her head.

He was then involved in an altercation with one of her male friends and his view on the night was that he was disappointed she had not stuck up for him.

The court heard that he was emotionally charged and irate.

But he could not fully explain why he acted as he did and could not forgive himself for what he had put her through.

David Matthews, defending, said Jackson was a man of good character in full-time employment who immediately admitted what he had done and pleaded guilty before the court.

He accepted that he had behaved very badly that night and that the victim was in no way to blame.

During the celebrations things took an unusual turn and he lost his composure and his temper.

He had anger management issues, had contacted his GP and was prescribed medication for depression.