A MAN was pepper-sprayed by police after assaulting his wife and mother-in-law, a court heard.

Viktoras Armonas knocked his mother-in-law to the floor while trying to force his way through a door.

Moments earlier, he woke his wife by shouting at her and accusing her of sleeping with other men.

Prosecution barrister, Emily Lanham, told how the 41-year-old "pushed and shoved his wife" and "during that pushing, he hit her in the face causing her nose to bleed".

She and her mother then went to the garden at the property in Twyford Road, Eastleigh, to wait for the police.

Meanwhile, Armonas, formerly of Twyford Road, barricaded himself in the living room.

Miss Lanham said that "after a while, the defendant opened the living room door and kicked the PC to the stomach causing her to stumble back around ten or 15 feet".

However, he was eventually pepper-sprayed and then arrested.

Southampton Crown Court heard how Armonas and his victim had divorced in 2019 but "decided to give things another try".

But - his "behaviour changed" and he became "controlling and manipulative".

On multiple occasions, he accused his victim of sleeping with other men and even threatened to burn their house down saying he had "nothing else to lose".

Appearing before Southampton Crown Court, he was charged with harassment causing fear of violence, racially aggravated assault, two counts of assault by beating and a single count of assaulting an emergency worker.

He pleaded guilty to the offences that happened in July this year.

Defending, Jamie Gammon said it was fairly clear that his client had struggled with the breakdown of his relationship of 15-years

At sentence Judge Christopher Parker QC said that his actions were "inexcusable and unmanly".

He said he "behaved like a drunken brute" and jailed him for ten months.

However, the term was suspended for 18-months.

Armonas must complete 140 hours of unpaid work, 120 days of alcohol abstinence and eight rehabilitation activity days.