A CHURCH-going man convicted of attacking his sister – kicking her head on the floor and pulling out clumps of her hair – has escaped immediate imprisonment.

Justin Mark Rogers, of Broncoed Park in Mold, denied assaulting Whitney Houston at their mother's home in the Bromfield area of the town on December 4 but was convicted at an earlier trial.

He was ordered to pay £500 prosecution costs and £500 compensation for the pain and trauma she had been caused.

At North East Wales Magistrates Court at Mold he received an 18 week prison sentence, suspended for two years, and was placed on rehabilitation to follow anger management and victim empathy courses.

A five year restraining order was made not to approach his sister in any way or to go within 200 metres of her home in Llewellyn Drive, Bryn-y-Baal, near Mold.

After being sentenced Rogers, 44, told the court: "I really hope and pray to God that one day my family will be mended.

"You don't know how sorry I am."

Earlier magistrates told him that his sister and mother had given evidence against him at the earlier trial and the bench was concerned that he was not taking responsibility for his actions.

The defendant replied: "I am."

Magistrates said it was a nasty which involved kicking and the pulling of hair.

They had taken his own health situation into account, the effect on the family unit if he was jailed, and they believed there was a prospect of rehabilitation.

Prosecutor Justin Espie said the victim went to see her mother, her brother was there and during an argument he was asked to leave.

Rogers grabbed her face and hair, pulled her to the floor, where she was kicked several times to the head.

At the time Rogers was shouting that he was going to kill her, the prosecutor said.

She suffered bruising and swelling to the face, clumps of her hair had been removed and she suffered pain and discomfort to her neck and shoulders.

The victim worked as a care assistant at a nursing home for the elderly and estimated that she had lost £1,000 in earnings but magistrates said that should be left to a claim to the criminal injuries board.

In a victim impact statement she said that she had been in a great deal of pain to the head and body and she had been diagnosed with whiplash-type injuries.

She suffered flashbacks and had to have something to help her sleep.

"When I close my eyes I can see Justin swinging punches at me with his face contorted," she said.

He knew she was scared of him and she said when he attacked her, she was like a stranger to him.

She said in a victim impact statement: "He kept saying he was going kill me...and I truly believed him."

Victoria Handley, defending, said "As a Christian he attends church every week.

"The church will support him whatever the outcome today.”

Miss Handley said her client had protested his innocence, was convicted at trial and appreciated he had to be punished.

He did wish to apologise to his sister and was genuinely sorry.

He was visiting his mother, his sister arrived and she accepted she had been critical of Rogers’ wife.

It was conceded the circumstances were horrifying and that kicking a female to the head on the floor was something that would be taken very seriously by the courts.

But Rogers had not been in trouble for eight years, he was currently off sick and awaiting surgery to his leg for an old football injury, and if he was jailed it would impact on his wife and two children.

He had worked for the same company for 10 years to support his family.

Both he and his wife suffered health issues.