A MAN who twice assaulted his estranged wife has been jailed.

Preston Crown Court heard Raja Sikander Ali had married the victim, who has three children from a different relationship, on April 2018 but by February of this year they had separated.

Prosecuting, Roger Brown said that at about 11.10pm on July 11 the victim was alone with her children in her Accrington home when she heard the doorbell ring.

After initially ignoring it she went downstairs followed by her children and opened the front door.

Mr Brown said Ali was standing at the other side of the door and without even saying anything, raised his arm, clinched his right fist and hit the victim in the face.

She began screaming in pain and took out her mobile phone to ring the police.

Mr Brown said Ali ran off towards Accrington railway station.

Ali’s estranged wife flagged down a police car and reported the matter to them but the defendant wasn’t arrested at that stage, the prosecutor said.

Mr Brown said in the period following that exchange 34-year-old Ali had threatened the victim and her family.

However the pair were in contact on July 22 and the victim had made arrangements to meet Ali, of Neath Close, Blackburn, and bring him to her home the following day.

She picked him up from Blackburn railway station on July 23.

Mr Brown said as soon as he got into the car Ali began hitting the victim with a coffee jar on the head.

When she arrived back at her house the police could see the victim was “in a state” and had an injury.

Defence barrister Bob Elias said his client’s version of events were that there was an argument in the car Ali pushed her and she hit her head on the door handle.

Ali, pleaded guilty to assault. Mr Elias said: “Sometimes the less said the better on behalf of a defendant. This maybe such an occasion. Some of what Mr Brown outlined isn’t accepted. What is clear is that lady was put in a difficult position by her own family and had taken against this defendant. Matters blew up and the police ended up getting involve.

“He’s accepted two criminal acts. I don’t suggest we say anything more than that.”

Jailing Ali for four months, Recorder Michelle Brown said: “I know you pleaded guilty in the full knowledge the complainant had withdrawn her support for the prosecution against you and didn’t want to attend court to give evidence against you."