A 35-YEAR-OLD man attacked his partner twice in a week during rows over him contacting the mother of his children.

Blackburn magistrates heard on the first occasion Daniel Briers burst open the bathroom door after she locked herself in with his mobile phone and made it clear she was going to "interrogate" it.

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Briers, of Francis Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to two charges of assaulting Toni Parker.

He was made subject to a community order for 18 months, with a 25 day rehabilitation activity requirement and 80 hours' unpaid work, and ordered to pay £50 compensation, £85 costs and £60 victim surcharge.

Elliot Taylforth, prosecuting, said after Miss Parker had locked herself in the bathroom with his phone he forced the door, splitting the frame, and grabbed her by the face. When she said his fingers were in her eyes, he let go.

The second assault came after they had been out drinking together. A row started over him seeing his ex-partner and during that he assaulted her. She said he punched her repeatedly in the face but he claimed he had only hit her twice to the back of the head. When she failed to attend a hearing to establish the facts, the magistrates accepted his version of events.

Paul Huxley, defending, said the argument started when there were messages coming through from his former partner who is the mother of his children.

He said: “There are problems but he wants to build bridges.”