A judge has imposed a five-year restraining order on a 24-year-old man who carried out a drunken attack on the mother of his child at her Elland home.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Lewis Harris and his partner had been in an “on-off relationship” and last month they had gone out drinking with his work colleagues in Huddersfield, but in the early hours he assaulted her in her own apartment.

Prosecutor Christopher Dunn said the pair had argued after Harris told the complainant he was going to a strip club and they parted company that night.

The complainant said she received abusive texts from Harris that night and when she returned to her apartment she found him asleep on the sofa.

Mr Dunn said another argument started during which Harris punched her and after she fell on the floor he kicked her legs and buttocks.

The court heard that Harris also picked the complainant up in his arms and threw her onto the floor.

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As she phoned her mother for help Harris grabbed the device off her and she eventually ran out of the building.

“Fortunately the complainant’s mother arrived after a short time and she told the defendant to leave,” said Mr Dunn.

The court heard that the victim suffered bruising to various parts of her body and a cut to her eyebrow.

She was also thought to have broken a finger, but it turned out to be badly bruised and sprained.

In a victim impact statement read out by the prosecutor she said she now suffered anxiety and had not been able to sleep.

The court heard that the cut had left a scar and the victim was now worried about seeing the defendant.

Harris, of Dudwell Lane, Halifax, pleaded guilty at a previous court hearing to a charge of assault and his barrister Soheil Khan indicated that there was a background to the events that night.

Mr Khan submitted references from Harris’ employer and said his client was obviously a very valued worker.

“This clearly was a foolish set of actions in his part which he deeply regrets,” said Mr Khan.

Judge Colin Burn said it was quite clear that in normal circumstances, when Harris hadn’t had a large amount of drink, he was a normal, hard-working person.

But the judge said no amount of provocation could excuse Harris’ behaviour and he should be ashamed of himself for his offending against the mother of his child.

Judge Burn decided that Harris’ six-month jail sentence could be suspended for two years, but he must do 120 hours’ unpaid work for the community and take part in a “Building Better Relationships” programme.

The judge also imposed the five-year restraining order which restricts Harris’ contact with the complainant and ordered him to pay £250 court costs.