A WELDER convicted of assaulting his ex-wife while she was holding a small child outside a children's nursery has been jailed.

Jaroslaw Biraga, 35, of Vernon Street, Wrexham, received a total of two years for the assault and other offences.

Judge Niclas Parry told him he had shown a controlling attitude towards his former partner.

The most serious offence was on December 21 when he went to the Sparkles Children’s Nursery in Prince Charles Road, Caia Park "intent on some kind of revenge" on his former wife.

He had already been to a school to find out where she was.

At the school he said he would smash up the nursery and threatened a female staff member.

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Jaroslaw Biraga

When his wife approached her car she was kicked and punched while holding a child.

He knew where she would then go and was waiting at her friend's home and tried to stop her vehicle moving forward by opening the bonnet.

Biraga opened the car door and brandished a knife, making threats, said Judge Parry.

He had denied a public order offence, an assault and possessing a knife at the magistrates court but had been convicted and sent to Mold Crown Court for sentence.

He had admitted driving while disqualified and without insurance on the same date and again two days later.

Then in February he admitted going equipped to steal and possessing two knives, one a meat cleaver, after he was arrested hiding under a vehicle in Larch Road, Caia Park.

He was disqualified from driving for 18 months, which will start on his release.

Judge Parry made a five year restraining order under which he is not to contact his former wife, a mother-of-two, in any way and he is not to go to her home in Llay.

The court heard Biraga, who followed the proceedings with the aid of a Polish interpreter, had been in a 10-year relationship and had been separated for two.

On December 21 his ex-wife went to the nursery to pick up her son and while there a staff member approached her and told her someone was looking inside her vehicle.

She went to her car and a "furious" Biraga walked towards her.

He had blocked her vehicle in and at that stage Biraga kicked her forcefully to the left shin and punched her ribs.

A nursery staff member intervened and Biraga responded by saying "your car will get f...... smashed up".

He got into his vehicle and drove off and the victim went to a friend's home to collect up her daughter but when she arrived Biraga was there waiting for her.

When she parked up he opened the door, opened his jacket and he was in possession of a knife with a flat blade of some 15cm, said prosecutor Oliver King.

He told her: "I don't care about anything any more."

Biraga told her he had stolen her wallet which was missing but he had not been charged with that. She was shocked and scared.

On December 23 police stopped his car and he was seen to jump from the driver's seat to the back seat.

He was in possession of amphetamine and was driving while disqualified.

Henry Hills, defending, said Biraga had no previous convictions in the UK.

His recent behaviour was a change for the worse.

Offences involving his former wife arose out of frustration that he was not seeing his child.

"He was unable to control his frustration and anger," said Mr Hills.

Biraga accepted his behaviour was wholly inappropriate.

He had spent some time in Germany working to support his family when they were in Poland and after they moved to the UK.