A BRIDGWATER man who assaulted a woman and her two children has been jailed for 18 months.

Craig Palmer, 41, of Longstone Avenue, Bridgwater, admitted he was intoxicated when he assaulted the woman and her two sons, who cannot be named for legal reasons, at her home on December 29 last year.

Prosecuting, Chloe Griggs told the court Palmer argued with the woman after she told him about an incident that had happened to her in the past and grabbed her by her hair and pulled her along her kitchen floor, before pushing her against a kitchen worktop.

The court heard one of the woman's sons walked into the kitchen and Palmer grabbed him by the throat and pushed him against a door frame.

Ms Griggs said Palmer left the scene and the woman locked the door but he returned, broke through her window with a railway spire and gained entry into her property.

Palmer approached the woman again picked her up by her throat and threw her to the floor before breaking her fridge apart and threw the fridge door onto her leg.

The prosecution said the woman's two sons then came into the kitchen and as she tried to usher them away Palmer pushed her and as a result she fell into one of her son's and knocked him to the ground.

The court heard the woman sustained a lump to the left side of her forehead and bruising to her leg and arms. Her sons also sustained bruising in the incident.

When police arrived at the scene, Ms Griggs said Palmer continued to be aggressive and tried to resist arrest and threatened officers when they tried to apprehend him.

Defending, Will Rose said Palmer had no recollection of assaulting the boys when he was interviewed but said he 'nearly vomited' when he was told about what had happened.

Mr Rose said: "He fully accepts the case and he looks back and he is sickened, shocked and ashamed of his behaviour.

"Palmer had been drinking, the woman described something to him which she said she had not reported to anyone

"He tried to encourage her to report it but she said she felt she was not able to. That was the catalyst for what happened next.

"He had been on medication for depression, his behaviour spiralled out of control."

The court heard Palmer had been subject to a community order just five weeks before this offence after he was found guilty of drink driving.

Sentencing, Judge David Ticehurst said: "You were far from supporting her (the woman) in that situation no doubt as a result of the alcohol you had been taking and decided to assault her and her children.

"You left and then returned and broke into the property with a railway spire.

"That would have been a difficult experience for the woman and her children."

Judge Ticehurst sentenced Palmer to 14 months in jail and revoked his community order and sentenced him to four months in jail for driving under the influence of excessive alcohol.