A WOMAN was knocked unconscious during a brutal attack by her partner.

Blackburn magistrates heard that three months later, when Benn Williams was her ex-partner, he walked into her house and attacked her again.

During the second incident he threw a punch which missed the intended target but hit a three-year-old girl in the face.

Williams, 31, of Coates Avenue, Barnoldswick, pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm to his partner and the child, intentional suffocation and assault. He was sent in custody to Burnley Crown Court to be sentenced on October 7.

Andrew Hey, prosecuting, said the first incident happened after the couple had been at her sister’s with other friends. When they returned home she was on the phone to a friend who he had fallen out with earlier in the evening.

“He became enraged and grabbed her by the throat,” said Mr Hay.

“He dragged her into the vestibule where he slammed her against a dog crate and she immediately felt a rib snap.”

When she dropped to the floor Williams punched her with a lot of force to the middle of her chest, she couldn’t breathe and fell to the floor.

“Other people came running downstairs and began to shout at him,” said Mr Hey. “He said he hadn’t done anything and she was exaggerating.

"He then smacked her against the kitchen wall knocking her unconscious. When she came round she could hear the others asking how he could do that to a woman.”

The second incident happened while she was at home with a friend. Williams walked into the house and grabbed her by the throat and dragged her to the kitchen where he pinned her against the worktop.

He left but returned 10 minutes later and again grabbed her by the throat. He pushed her against a wall and threw her into some children’s toys before he grabbed her by the throat again and threw her against a kitchen worktop.

“He went to throw a punch at her but missed and hit the three-year-old girl,” said Mr Hey.

Naima Hussain, defending, said her client had accepted all the offences and was extremely remorseful.

“He is extremely ashamed of his actions,” said Mrs Hussain.

“He says there is nothing that would make him do anything like this again.”