A DOMESTIC abuser punched his victim while she was on a video call to her sister, a court heard.

Zachariah Roberts-Thomas, 23, of Marble Hall Road in Milford Haven, had been in a relationship with the victim for several years.

On the afternoon of December 29, the victim’s sister received messages which suggested that she was upset.

She went over to the victim’s flat, and when she arrived the defendant was “yelling and screaming” at the victim. The victim went outside and sat in the car with her sister, while Roberts-Thomas left the address.

The victim went back in to the flat, and her sister went home.

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However, shortly before 7pm she video called the victim, who was crying.

“The defendant could be heard screaming in the background and then approached [the victim] and punched her in the rib saying she was a b****, a s*** and a w****,” prosecutor Brian Simpson.

The police were called, but when they arrived Roberts-Thomas had left the address, and the victim denied that anything had happened.

The victim’s sister later received further messages where the defendant could be heard shouting in the background.

The police were called again, and they arrived to find the defendant “heavily intoxicated” outside, shouting that he “just wanted [her] back”.

The court heard that Roberts-Thomas had nine previous convictions for 14 offences – one of which included sending voices messages threatening to kill this victim. He was sentenced last year to a community order – which was still in place when this latest incident took place.

“The custody threshold is very much crossed,” said Dan Griffiths, in mitigation. “The defendant is very much aware of that.

“It seems that he assaulted the victim in this case over a rather trivial argument over the dog defecating on the carpet.

“The defendant is sorry about what happened.”

Mr Griffiths said that Roberts-Thomas had spent the equivalent of a 14-week sentence in prison since he was remanded in custody.

“It’s an experience he won’t wish to repeat in any way,” he said.

“He would be the first to acknowledge he has a lot of growing up to do.”

Addressing the defendant, Recorder Simon Hughes said: “It’s clear to me you require some assistance. Were you sentenced to an immediate custodial sentence today, you would be released without access to that assistance.”

He sentenced Roberts-Thomas to 12 weeks, suspended for 18 months. As part of this, he must complete the Building Better Relationships programme, 150 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

The prosecution offered no evidence on charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, criminal damage and intentional strangulation from the same date after the complainant did not support the case. Roberts-Thomas had denied each of these offences.

Formal not guilty verdicts were entered on these charges.