A dad who punched and kicked his partner in a row about his bank card has been jailed for 18 months.

Ryan Jones, 24, launched the sustained attack on his girlfriend then told neighbours who stepped in to stop it 'she made me hit her'.

Hannah Squire, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court that Jones had been in a relationship with the victim for about four years and they had two small children.

On Saturday, July 19, she said the pair had been arguing because he had her bank card and she wanted it back.

"The defendant returned to the home address at about 6 o'clock. The argument about the bank card escalated," she said.

"Mr Jones believed she had got the police involved and he believed she had cheated on him.

"The violence began with him throwing the TV remote at her. he then punched her in the face and continued punching her in the face.

"She then says that he kicked her in the face. Kicked her to the left side of her face with the bottom of his boot. Her ear was bleeding."

During the attack she was screaming and neighbours came to the door to check if everything was all right.

Jones spoke to them as she tried to clean the blood from her face but when he closed the door he started kicking her to the head again.

"He was, in her words, kicking her 'Over and over again'," Miss Squire said.

Hearing the commotion she said the neighbours returned and told him to stop when he replied: "She made me hit her, my life is like this because of her".

The neighbours split the pair up and noticed Jones' knuckles were red from where he had been punching her.

His victim was taken to the Royal United Hospital, Bath, where she had blood syringed from her ear and was found to have two black eyes and other bruises including a boot print on the side of her head.

Jones, of Silver Birch Grove, Trowbridge, pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm.

Although he has many previous convictions, and was on a suspended sentence at the time of the attack, only one is for violence.

Andrew Eddy, defending, said while he made no comment in interview he pleaded guilty straight away.

At the time of the incident he was drunk and had been taking prescription medication which meant he could recall little of what took place and is very sorry.

Since being remanded in custody on remand he said the victim had been writing to him and sending cards almost every day.

Jailing him, Judge Tim Mousley QC said: "I regard this as a very serious case of its type. You used repeated punches and kicks to her head.

"I am satisfied you intended to cause more harm to her than you did. The offence is aggravated, that is made worse, because it happened to her in her own home."