A man drunkenly dragged his ex-wife to the floor after she tried to leave with their dog, a court heard.

Andrzej Kondrat, of Stonechat Close in Weymouth, assaulted Beata Kondrat in February at the home they used to share.

The 39-year-old pleaded guilty to assault by beating when he appeared at Weymouth Magistrates Court.

Kondrat and his ex-wife had been separated for four years at the time of the offence following a six-year marriage, the court was told.

Elizabeth Valera, prosecuting, read out a victim statement from Ms Kondrat which said that on February 9, she called her ex-husband to discuss the house and what they were going to do with it.

"She gets to the address at around 12pm. He decides he wants to go shopping so they go to the Polish shop," Mrs Valera said.

In a statement, Ms Kondrat said they were both drinking alcohol, but the defendant "wouldn't focus on the reason she was there."

Mrs Valera continued: "She said she felt tired as she was working long shifts, she fell asleep on the sofa. She woke up at around 9pm in the evening when the defendant was very drunk.

"When a taxi is outside the incident happens. She went to walk out the house and had the dog with her."

Magistrates heard that Kondrat walked towards his ex-wife, grabbed the back of her coat and dragged her onto the floor in the hallway, while shouting at her in Polish to 'leave the ******* dog'.

The incident was witnessed by the taxi driver who called police. Ms Kondrat was not physically injured. While they waited for police, Kondrat approached the taxi with the dog and handed it over, the court was told.

Karen O'Brien, mitigating, said: "He's pleaded guilty because he realises the way he overstepped the mark.

"They had spent the day together and he wasn't drinking alone...he didn't want to talk about the house while they had been drinking.

"There was no arrangement for the dog to go and stay with her on that occasion. Up until then they had had a pleasant day together, it was the situation with the dog which brought this about."

Kondrat was ordered to pay £50 compensation to Ms Kondrat, as well as fines and costs of £234.