A man has admitted a series of assaults upon his younger partner.

Stephen Peter Jones, 58, was said to have hit partner Sonia Dykins, 38, on a number of occasions, dragged her by the hair, struck her with a curtain rail pole and thrown water over her.

She had been left with a significant bruising to the face, arms, buttocks, legs and body, prosecutor Wyn Jones, told Flintshire Magistrates’ Court at Mold yesterday.

Jones, of Bowler’s Court, Mostyn Street in Shotton, admitted one charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm to cover a number of incidents between October last year and May 20 this year, together with a charge of criminal damage after he stamped on her mobile phone.

Not all the allegations were accepted by Jones who said he did not cause all the bruising. Evidence was due to be heard by magistrates, but his basis of plea was accepted when she did not turn up to testify.

The court heard that arrangements had been made for the victim to stay in a refuge.

Jones, who had been remanded in custody for breaching his bail, was granted bail pending sentence on Tuesday.

Magistrates heard that the couple got together after she moved in across the corridor to the defendant and his then partner.

They became an item, but things started to deteriorate. Both had alcohol issues and the assaults occurred when he had been drinking, the prosecutor said.

The first incident she recalled was the defendant waking her by up by shouting at her and dragging her out of bed by her hair.

That happened on a number of occasions and in interview the defendant said he had dragged her out of bed by the arm.

He also denied dragging her into the street and calling her names.

It was alleged that he tried to isolate her from family and friends and had damaged three of her mobile phones, but he accepted stamping on one phone only.

He jumped on top of her while she was in bed asleep and punched her to the body.

The defendant accepted that happened, but said it must have been when he was drunk and having a bad dream – but the prosecutor said that self-induced drunkenness was no defence.

He admitted he poured water over her from a bucket, but said she was withdrawing from alcohol and he wanted to wake her up.

She had been struck by a curtain pole, but he had not considered it a weapon and claimed that he did not use much force.

The victim alleged that she had been thrown against some cabinets and punched, which he denied.

Neighbours contacted the police in May when he back handed her to the forehead while she was in bed.

“He has made quite substantial admissions of domestic violence over a lengthy period,” the prosecutor said.

He had no previous convictions of a like nature, but a restraining order would be applied for.

Defending solicitor Phillip Lloyd Jones said that his client knew he was in a serious position.

He had started an alcohol rehabilitation course in custody.

Magistrates agreed to bail him pending sentence with a residence condition. He is not to approach her in any way in the meantime.