A FORMER soldier has been sent on an anti-domestic violence course after he attacked his partner.

Chef Daran Taylor banged his ex-girlfriend’s head against a car window and held a pair of scissors to her throat after she told him their relationship was over.

Taylor, aged 45, then smashed the window of her car as she fled from the confrontation at a caravan where he was living in Chudleigh.

He was ordered to undertake a course in ‘building better relationships’ and banned from going to the farm where his ex-partner lives.

Taylor, of the Old Stables, Chudleigh, admitted assault and criminal damage and was made subject of a two-year community order with a condition to attend the probation-run programme. He was also ordered to repay the £122 cost of repairing the car window and made subject of a restraining order by Recorder Mr Ignatius Hughes, QC, at Exeter Crown Court.

Mr Hughes told him: ‘You are a hard working man with military service behind you. I hope you agree that you let yourself down very badly on this occasion.

‘Whatever lay behind this incident and however badly wrong this relationship had got, you must understand it was wholly unacceptable to become physically abusive to anybody, never mind your female partner.

‘You allowed yourself to lose control in the situation of the end of your relationship. It is obvious there was a genuine attempt to talk about it which led to acrimony.

‘You both argued and you struggled with her and grabbed her head during the argument and banged it about the car. She fled to a caravan where there were more arguments and you ended up sitting on her. I have no doubt you are thoroughly ashamed. I take into account all I have read about your previous good character.’

Mr Sean Brunton, prosecuting, said the incident happened on the night of December 29 last year when his ex-girlfriend picked up Taylor from his work and they started an argument in the car.

He said there was violence in the car and at the caravan, where Taylor held a pair of scissors to her throat, but did not use them to hurt her. She left and he smashed a window of her car as she drove away.

Mr William Parkhill, mitigating, said the incident happened in the highly-charged context of the break-up of a relationship and Taylor has apologised and is remorseful for what he did.

He said Taylor is an ex-serviceman who now works as a chef and who was acting out of character.