A FORMER soldier cried in court last week as he was sent to prison for offences involving his partner.

Liam Andrew Fishwick shouted at the District Judge who had jailed him for 18 weeks that it "wasn't fair", at Blackburn Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, May 25.

He said he was due to get married and he and his partner were expecting a baby.

"I've turned my life around and you are sending me back to prison," he shouted.

Fishwick then told custody officers who had come to take him down that he would "knock your heads off" if they touched me.

He was eventually led away in handcuffs.

Fishwick, 30, of Bury Street, Oswaldtwistle, pleaded guilty to assaulting Anastacia Dearden, damaging a window belonging to her worth £300, breaching a restraining order in her favour and taking his auntie's car without her consent on March 17 in Accrington.

He was jailed for 18 weeks, banned from driving for 34 weeks and ordered to pay £128 victim surcharge on release.

Carl Gaffney, prosecuting, said Miss Deaden had withdrawn her support for the prosecution.

"The restraining order has since been discharged but before that was done he was found in her company," said Mr Gaffney.

"On another occasion he has smashed a window at her home and then thrown a shard of glass towards her.

"He accepted that was an assault on the basis she had the apprehension she would be hit by the glass."

He said Fishwick was living with his aunt when he took her car without consent.

Gareth Price, mitigating, said within a month of the breach offence the order had been discharged at Miss Dearden's request.

He said Fishwick had served in Afghanistan and other places.

"That may explain the problem he has controlling his temper," said Mr Price.

"A suspended sentence may achieve more than an immediate custodial sentence."

District Judge Alex Boyd said he was not persuaded to suspend the sentence because of the defendant's previous record of offending, and sent Fishwick down.