A MAN who 'repeatedly' stabbed his ex-partner with a fork has been jailed.

Richard Owen, of Armenia Street in Holyhead, appeared at Mold Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday.

The 28-year-old had previously admitted three offences of breaching a restraining order and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Ryan Rothwell, prosecuting, said the offences were all committed against the same complainant - his on-and-off partner Tammy Hughes.

These charges represented his 8th, 9th, 10th breaches of the restraining order put in place to prevent him from seeing her, as well as the fifth time he had been sentenced for assault against her.

Mr Rothwell said the first of the breaches occurred between the end of May and June last year when he was in HMP Berwyn.

He called her 888 times from the prison during that single month.

Mr Rothwell said while numbers a prisoner may contact are checked and the recipient approached for their agreement before it becomes an 'approved number', Owen had given Ms Hughes number with an alias name.

When the prison contacted her to confirm she was who Owen said she was, she "pretended" to be the alias.

In December last year, Owen contacted Ms Hughes asking to see her, but she didn't want him to come to her home.

He turned up early one morning and she felt obliged to let him in.

This was repeated over the course of a week until one morning when he entered and went upstairs to sleep.

He awoke feeling ill the next afternoon and appeared "hung over."

Ms Hughes had made him food but he became aggressive and told her; "I'll smash your head in."

He followed her into her living room with a plate and a fork, making a further threat when she told him she'd call the police.

She curled up and he began "stabbing her repeatedly with the fork," piercing her hand and leg.

An abandoned call Ms Hughes made to 999 alerted police, who attended but Owen had left.

She went to hospital in pain with a swollen hand afterwards and was prescribed medication.

At the end of December officers returned to the property and found Owen hiding in the loft, which resulted in his arrest.

In a victim statement, which was read to the court, Ms Hughes said; "I never felt strong enough to say no to him. "I have been left feeling anxious.

"I live in fear I will be confronted."

Simon Killeen, defending, said: "Prison is inevitable in this case.

"He has significant mental health issues and is on a number of medications."

While Judge David Hale and Mr Killeen were discussing the terms of a restraining order, Owen told the Judge: "I wish to get help, so I don't return to the area of Holyhead.

"That's not an area I want to reside any more.

"I have been in and out of prison since 2012. "This relationship is toxic. It is not good for me, it's not good for her.

"I just want to move on with my life."

Judge Hale told him: "This relationship is totally toxic.

"She finds it very difficult to stop you coming, or ringing her up. "You overwhelm her and are violent to her.

"It may well be because you have medications which probably don't combine well with drink or any substance - but it's an accident waiting to happen.

"You must have nothing more to do with her."

Judge Hale handed him a total custodial sentence of 22 months and made a restraining order prohibiting him from entering Holyhead for five years.