Bully Paul Stacey gave his then girlfriend a Christmas she would never forget by dragging her out of his home by her hair.

The 51-year-old from Sheerness attacked the woman on two occasions during their seven-month torrid relationship, Maidstone Crown Court has heard.

Now car mechanic Stacey, of Shore Close, High Street, Sheerness, has been jailed for two years and branded a bully by a judge.

The court heard how on Christmas Eve last year the couple had been drinking in the town and returned at 3.30am.

During an argument, Stacey pushed the victim into a coffee table and began punching her, threw her around the room, out of the flat before dragging her back inside.

Judge Philip Statman heard that four days later, the two began arguing again while returning from a pub in a Vauxhall Astra - this time the victim fled on foot.

Matthew Hodgetts, prosecuting added that when Stacey parked the car he forgot to apply the handbrake and it rolled forward into another parked car.

"That seemed to re-spark the argument and he punched her in the face, causing her to fall to the floor.

He then kicked and punched her multiple times to her face before throwing her out into an alleyway in just her underwear.

"Things then escalated because after pulling her back inside his flat he pulled out a kitchen knife, held it to her face and pushed the point cutting her cheek."

He added that Stacey then locked the flat when he went out preventing her from leaving and after she reported the incidents to police, he called her asking her to drop the charges.

Stacey received a total of 24 months in jail after he admitted two assaults and intimidating a witness on the day of his trial.

He was also ordered to stay away from his former lover for five years.

The judge told him that "peace and goodwill" should have been uppermost in his mind on Christmas Eve.

"Instead you behaved wholly in a bullying and intimidating way."

As he was led away, Stacey told the judge: "Sorry, I hope you stay safe and well."

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