A man has been found guilty of a series of assaults against his ex-girlfriend including dragging her out of her home and attacking her in an alleyway.

Colin Andrew George Brook, aged 33, of Shoe Lane, Bridport, was charged with nine counts of assault by beating against the woman, offences which he denied.

He was found guilty of six counts following a trial at Weymouth Magistrates Court and found not guilty on the other three. The offences he was convicted of happened between September and November this year.

Brook was sentenced to 3 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months for each count, to run consecutively, giving a total of 18 weeks.
Brook claimed his former girlfriend, with whom he began a relationship in June, was "prone to crocodile tears".

Giving evidence, the victim said the relationship was good at first but by August Brook began to become 'physical'.

"It was just awful. He changed, everything changed," she said.

She said Brook violently assaulted her on separate occasions including dislocating her shoulder by shoving her into a doorframe, pushing her down stairs and attacking her on her birthday.

The court heard, in the early hours of the victim's birthday, Brook dragged the victim out of her home without shoes and 'frog marched' her through the town and into an alleyway. 

Brook was then said to push her against a wall, push into her eyes and pull her nose ring.

The victim said: "I'm screaming. I thought he was going to rip it out. He is kneeling on my legs and grabbing my face. I'm making too much noise and he's looking around to see if anyone could hear. He said, 'I'm taking you somewhere where no one will hear you screaming'". 

She said Brook dragged her to a more remote area and grabbed her by the throat. 

"I said 'you are going to kill me aren't you? You are actually going to kill me on my birthday". 

Ian Brazier, defending, questioned why the victim had not reported the incidents or sought medical attention. 

"He had a hold over me, I was in a domestically violent relationship," she said. 

Mr Brazier also said the woman had, on several occasions, changed her statements and denied assault to police. 

Brook told the court: "Every relationship has its ups and downs but it was never physical. I don't agree with woman beating. I don't condone it at all". 

Sentencing Brook, Judge Manning said he believed there was probably violence from both sides in "this volatile relationship".

As well as his suspended sentence, Brook was made subject of a two-year restraining order banning him from contacting the victim or visiting her address, and ordered to pay £100 compensation to the victim plus £215 in victim surcharges and costs.