A CIRENCESTER man who refused to attend court for his trial on a charge of assaulting his ex-partner, was convicted in his absence and jailed for two and a half years at Gloucester Crown Court.

Jurors spent only minutes reaching their guilty verdict on Daniel Short, 31, of Countess Lilias Road, who had denied assaulting the woman causing her actual bodily harm on April 22 this year.

Short had not attended any of his jury trial, preferring to stay in prison, where he had been on remand since his arrest.

Following the unanimous verdict from the jury at the end of a four day trial, Judge Jamie Tabor QC passed a 30 month sentence.

At the start of the trial, Caighli Taylor, prosecuting, told the jury: "The relationship between the defendant and the alleged victim started in April 2015, but by April 2017, the complainant had ended it. They had a child, but were no longer living together.

"He wasn't happy about this and this culminated in the assault on the 22.

"Throughout the day he called her many times. He told her he loved her. She said it was over. He came to her home at about 8.30pm, and he seemed perfectly fine. There was no sign of what was to come.

"Their five month old child was asleep in bed. After a short while he became angry. He was so angry, he went over to her and punched her in the face.

"He then kicked her to the face. She tried to calm him down by telling him things he wanted to hear, that she loved him. That worked for a short period of time but when he realised she had changed the locks, he then started punching her again.

"He picked up a dart and started jabbing it at her.

"She tried to run away, but he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to the floor. He drags her and punches her. He then stamps on her face. She is screaming in pain.

"The child starts screaming and that stops him. There is a knock on the door and it's the police who have been called by a neighbour."

Ms Taylor said that the woman initially told the police that Short had not assaulted her, but once the police arrested him and took him away "she was then able to tell the truth."

The woman then gave evidence via video link and set out how Short had contacted her repeatedly before she agreed to see him on April 22.

"At the door he seemed fine, but he got angry because I'd put 'single' on my Facebook page.

"He started punching me in the face. I tried to calm him down a bit. Telling him things he wanted to hear.

"He calmed down but after 15 to 20 minutes he would start off again. He got angry because my mum had changed the locks. I said I would give him a key to try and calm him down." she said.

"He got angry, punched me, and also kicked me in the face. I tried to get out, but I couldn't get out in time. He got me, dragged me down and kicked me repeatedly in the face.

"He didn't say much, he just beat me up. He pulled me by the hair, about four metres. I'm shouting 'Stop! Stop!' but he's not really listening."

The woman went on to explain that Short had told her to tell the police that she had been "beaten up by a girl in town."

Because Short had declined to attend court, the jury did not hear his side of the story from the witness box or any other defence evidence.