Mark Freeman, 58, a plasterer of Ebenezer Road, Hastings, was sentenced to nine months in prison when he appeared at Hove Crown Court on December 19th.

Freeman was found guilty of an assault occasioning actual bodily harm in July 2018, for which he was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment; an assault in December 2018 for which he was sentenced to one month to run concurrently; an assault in August 2019 for which he was sentenced to three months to run consecutively; and criminal damage in August 2019 for which he was sentenced to one month to run concurrently.

His sentence was reduced by a third for a guilty plea at court. A Restraining Order was granted for five years in order to protect the victim.

Crime Investigator Julie Maley said: “Sussex Police work tirelessly to ensure that victims are protected and any reports of crime are taken seriously and investigated. The end goal will be for a positive result at court and in this instance this is what happened.”