Shrewsbury roofer hit partner after she threw his beer into the road
A roofer from Shrewsbury beat his partner around the head because she threw his cans of beer into the road, a court heard.
But Neil Gilbert and his partner are now reconciled and he has her full support, magistrates were told.
Gilbert had previously admitted one charge of assault by beating and appeared at Telford Magistrates Court for sentencing.
Mrs Kelly Crowe, prosecuting, said that Gilbert had stormed out of the couple's house in Crowmere Road, following a "verbal altercation" with his girlfriend on July 25.
She had later found him sitting on the step of his mother's house in Shrewsbury and together with the defendant's sister had tried to get him to come home.
However Gilbert turned violent when his girlfriend picked up the cans of beer he was drinking and threw them into the road, said Mrs Crowe.
"He reacted angrily and punched her to the back of her head about 10 times," she said.
However, the court was told the couple, who had been together for three years, were carrying on their relationship.
"She feels that on that night, if she had not taken the beer from him and reacted the way she did, then matters would not have escalated in the same way," said Mrs Crowe.
"She is addressing issues, so is the defendant", she added. The victim believed the 36-year-old defendant would benefit from intervention by the probation service.
Magistrate Alan Boyd said that although the attack had been "very serious" and "a horrendous incident", the support of the victim, who appeared at the court with friends, and the numerous character references on Gilbert's behalf had led them to give him a two-year conditional discharge.
Gilbert, who works as a roofer, was also fined £350 and ordered to pay £270 of various court charges.
For Gilbert, Mr Shaun Davies said: "The shock of being arrested, being held in a police cell for 36 hours and being produced before the court has shocked him enough to change his drinking arrangements."
