A row over a cheese toastie ended in violence with a man assaulting his then girlfriend.

Leeds Crown Court heard Shane Lockwood and Victoria Brown had been in a relationship for four years before the incident on December 16 last year.

He returned home at 5.45pm to find her on the phone to a friend, said Alun Jones prosecuting.

While she was talking he made himself a cheese toastie but when she ended her conversation she complained he had left a mess in the kitchen which she had recently cleaned and told him to clean it up.

He became annoyed and threatened to throw the sandwich maker into the bin.

He then decided to leave but went towards the car which belonged to her and she told him she needed it that evening and stood in his path as he continued towards it.

Mr Jones said when Lockwood tried to go past her she pushed him away and “he went wild” grabbing her around the neck.

She was shaken back and forth and pushed against the wall before she ended up on the ground.

He rubbed cigarettes into her face and then went into the garage and locked himself inside where he turned off the electricity to the property leaving her in the dark.

She phoned the police and when officers arrived they found her crying and in a dishevelled state.

She had a lump to the back of her head and other cuts and bruises.

When they got into the garage they found Lockwood wrapped up in a sleeping bag pretending to be asleep.

He claimed he had not assaulted her.

She subsequently obtaining a non-molestation order which Lockwood breached on 12 January this year when he sent her a text saying he was coming for his belongings “f..k you and your injunction.”

Lockwood, 40, of Manor Rise, Newsome, Huddersfield admitted the assault and breaching the non-molestation order.

He was given a 12 month community order with 120 hours’ unpaid work and 20 days rehabilitation activity.

He was also ordered to pay £250 compensation.

Recorder Richard Woolfall told him: “You should be thoroughly ashamed of your actions on this occasion, using violence against your partner who didn’t deserve to be treated in this way.”

But he accepted his previous good character and said there had been a cooling off period since and they were no longer together. “You must put this behind you as she has.”