A painter and decorator subjected his partner to six years of violence and abuse often telling her to go and kill herself, a court heard.

Luke Cromar, of Bramley Crescent, Sholing injured his partner multiple times following a series of rows.

On one occasion he dragged her around the house by her hair, leaving her with carpet burns and cuts to her head.

Another time, he threw a laptop at her causing a small cut to the top of her head, prosecutor Harry Garside said.

The victim is said to have suffered similar injuries when she had a phone thrown at.

The pair split after nine years.

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During the relationship they would argue “on a nearly daily basis”, Mr Garside said.

In a statement read out in court, 29-year-old Cromar said: “There was often grappling between us.”

In a comment also read out in court, the victim said: “Luke would often tell me to go and kill myself.

“Those were comments he repeated to me over the years whilst we were together.

“I still find myself having those negative thoughts. Luke has made my self-worth so insignificant.”

Cromar pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one count of engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour. These spanned from August 2016 to August 2022.

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Mitigating, Holly Fagan told Southampton Crown Court that the relationship had “ups and downs” adding that the “really bad arguing was only actually at the end of the relationship”.

She added: “It wasn’t over a prolonged period. It was during the down parts of that six-year count which were short parts.

“Clearly it has caused very serious distress. Mr Cromar is very much aware of that and extremely remorseful.”

Ms Fagan said her client is a man of previous good character and if he were to go to jail, it would have a “significant impact” on the running of his painting and decorating business.

Judge Nicholas Rowland said the offending was the “bullying of somebody you should have been looking after”.

“You should feel thoroughly ashamed of yourself, of what you did to your partner.”

Cromar was given a 12-month sentence suspended for 18 months and 180 hours of unpaid work.

He was also ordered to attend 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days and complete a building better relationships programme.

A restraining order was put in place for five years.