A MAN has been given a suspended prison sentence after he admitted assaulting a woman with whom he had been having a relationship.

The victim lost consciousness in the attack which took place in Wrexham town centre.

Benjamin Russell Williams, 20, admitted a charge of assault when he appeared at Wrexham magistrates’ court.

Justin Espie, prosecuting, said the plea was made on the basis that Williams was being slapped by the woman but Williams accepted his actions had gone beyond reasonable self-defence.

Andrew Holliday, defending, said that when an argument broke out between Williams and the victim on February 14 on Town Hill his client had initially walked away but the woman followed and began hitting him.

Mr Holiday said Williams, of Cardigan Road, Wrexham, had been the victim of bullies as a boy. He suffered very badly, at one point sustaining a broken jaw. There was medical opinion which suggested those experiences affected his reaction to conflict in adult life, the court was told.

Williams was given a 20-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months. He was ordered to attend a thinking skills programme and to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work. He was also excluded from licensed premises in Wrexham town centre for six months.