A jealous man has been branded "a brutal woman beater" by a judge after forcing a mum-of-three to to flee her home.

After biting her finger, Ayton Stone then smeared blood over her face and smashed her mobile phone because she had spoken with the father of one of her children.

But despite the violent attacks, the woman told the judge she wanted the "cowardly bully" back in her life.

Groundworker Stone, of West Parade in Hythe, escaped with a 19 month jail sentence suspended for two years after admitting two assaults in June and causing criminal damage.

Judge Rupert Lowe asked the victim if she was still in a relationship with the thug and she said she was.

She said after his release from prison, where he was on remand, they intended to "work on our relationship and help each other".

Canterbury Crown Court heard the terrified mother fled from her home with her children after one of assaults which followed one of Stone's jealous rages.

The 30-year-old also smashed the house, breaking the TV and throwing items of crockery at his lover after biting her finger and kicking her after pushing her into a door.

Prosecutor Kieran Brand told how pulled the victim’s hair and kicked her telling her he hoped it "hurt".

But Judge Lowe told Stone: “You’ve been in prison for 73 days (on remand) because you have been a brutal woman beater.

“You had your victim in the position of a battered woman who then lied to the hospital about how she got her injuries."

The judge told him woman have the right to speak to anyone they want at their will.

“You never raise a hand to your girlfriend, or damage her phone. These are the acts of a spoilt dangerous child. That’s not how adults behave.

“What you did was a most cowardly act on a woman you were supposed to be affectionate towards.”

He told Stone the first thing he should do after being reunited with his lover was to pay for all the damage he caused to her home.

“That’s what a man of honour would do”, he added.