Woman thrown across the room by 'drunken thug' at her New Year's Eve party

James Reed's victim fell into a mirror, which broke and banged her head on a wall after he flung her during a party, where she had tried to stop him arguing with someone else.

In a separate attack in March, Reed "ragged her around" after they had been drinking at a wake and left her with a cut on her leg. He also caused damage in her home.

Newcastle Crown Court heard Reed was on a community order for assaulting a police officer at the time and has other violence on his record.

Reed, 25, of Collingwood Court, Sulgave, Washington, admitted assault and common assault in relation to the woman, who he had been in a relationship with.

The court heard the victim feared she could end up "seriously hurt or worse" by Reed and moved to a new address.

The case was heard before Judge Amanda Rippon, who sentenced Reed to the community order and has previously given him a suspended sentence.

Judge Rippon told Reed he is a "drunken thug" and said it was time to put his troubled past behind him and "grow up".

The judge told Reed: "I am not well known for giving people one chance, let alone two.

"I do, however, have a method which I think might be the best way to see whether you can do what I have just said."

Judge Rippon replaced the previous community order with a six month jail term, suspended for 18 months.

In respect of the domestic violence, Judge Rippon deferred sentence until March to give Reed a chance to prove he can stay out of trouble and work with the probation service.

Judge Rippon said: "I quite like the idea of a controlled experiment here. You have got six months to work with them."

Judge Rippon said Reed must try to find work, stay out of trouble, stay away from the victim and "do something constructive" before he is back in court to be sentenced.

The judge warned him: "Stop behaving like a child because you are going to hurt someone and properly hurt someone if you are not careful."

Kate Spence, defending, said Reed, who had a hard start in life, feels "physically sick" about his offending and added: "If he could go back and turn the clock back he would."