A DRUNK man who threw a glass ashtray at his partner and threatened to cut her tongue off with a knife has been jailed.

Richard Smart, 36, was sentenced to 20 months in prison for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault.

Tim Compton, prosecuting, told the court how on January 10 this year, Smart’s partner went out during the afternoon and by chance met a previous partner.

Smart found out about this and started drinking and when his partner returned to their home in Pottery Lane in Weymouth an argument took place, which included Smart throwing a glass ashtray at her.

The court heard how he then got a knife from the kitchen drawer.

Mr Compton said: “He has the knife and he said he was going to stab her. He said he was going to chop her tongue off.”

The court heard how Smart, of Lichfield, Staffordshire, then chased her upstairs and as she went in to a bedroom he caught her finger with the knife.

Smart then left the house and was later arrested nearby with the knife.

The court also heard how Smart was convicted of common assault for an incident which took place at a park near his Weymouth home.

On April 26 last year, a different woman was called to the park by one of her children following a dispute.

The court heard how when she arrived, Smart was at the park and he approached her car and started being abusive, telling her that his children would 'knock her children out' and asked where her husband was as he would 'have him'.

When the woman got out of the car, she used the door as a shield between Smart and herself and he pushed the car door in to her face, causing minor injuries.

The court heard how the following day, Smart boasted about the incident outside the school gates.

Tim Akers, mitigating, said that Smart deserved credit for pleading guilty at the earliest possible opportunity to the ABH charge and that he was provoked by his partner during the incident.

The court heard how he was taking anti-depressants and was struggling with being separated from his children due to the terms of his bail forcing him to live at his current address.

Judge Jonathan Fuller, said that Smart had previous offences against his partner and the court also heard how she did not report other incidents to the police as she was scared the children would be taken away.

Judge Fuller sentenced Smart to 20 months in prison, 16 for the ABH and four for the common assault.