A man subjected his long-term partner to a brutal beating after accusing her of being unfaithful during a family holiday, a court has heard. Colin Broadbent set about the woman with his fists and then a vacuum cleaner extension pipe leaving her with a broken wrist and covered in cuts and bruises.

The 54-year-old's advocate told Swansea Crown Court that he could not really explain how something that started as an argument had ended in the way it had. Sending the defendant to prison a judge told him he had carried out an "appalling and prolonged" assault on his partner of many years.

Caitlin Brazel, prosecuting, said Broadbent had been in a relationship with the victim for more than 20 years when the assault happened in August this year. The court heard on August 3 the defendant's partner returned home from a family holiday which Broadbent had not been on. The following morning the defendant starting accusing his partner of cheating on him while she was away and told her to get out of the house. The partner responded by telling him it was her home and she was going nowhere and then she went out to check on their chickens.

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The prosecutor said the accusations and arguments continued throughout the day before matters turned violent when Broadbent grabbing his partner by the hair and punched her in the face. He repeated his demands that his partner leave their house and then kicked their cat, saying: "That's next to go". The court heard the defendant then grabbed his partner's necklace and ripped it from her neck telling her: "I'll have this back".

The prosecutor said Broadbent next picked up an extension pipe attachment from a vacuum cleaner and used it to attack the woman, repeatedly striking her to the face, body, and legs. The woman screamed for him to stop but he continued the assault. Broadbent eventually left the house and the woman phoned her mother then contacted the police. The defendant was arrested later the same day and in interview gave officers a prepared statement in which he denied assaulting the woman. Miss Brazel said the victim sustained a fractured wrist as well as a deep cut on the knee and cuts and bruises to her face, arms, and legs.

Colin Haydn Broadbent, of Dyffryn Road, Taibach, Port Talbot, had previously pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) and to criminal damage – breaking his partner's necklace – on the day of his trial when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 25 previous convictions for 54 offences including inflicting grievous bodily harm from 1999.

Leila Carballo-Williams, for Broadbent, said her client "cannot really explain" why what started out as an argument developed in the way it did. She said the guilty plea, though coming late in the day, had meant that the defendant's partner did not have go through a trial.

Recorder Celia Hughes said she had read in the partner's impact statement of the defendant's abusive behaviour during their relationship and said there was evidence the police had been involved but the incidents had not resulted in charges. She told Broadbent he had carried out an "appalling, prolonged assault" on his long-term partner first with his fists and then with a vacuum pole. She said: "Put simply this was domestic abuse of your partner of many, many years." The judge said the appropriate sentence after trial for the ABH would have been one of three years in prison. With a discount for his guilty plea Broadbent was sentenced to 32 months in prison. The defendant will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. Broadbent was fined £100 for the criminal damage. The defendant was also ordered to pay his victim £200 compensation and he was made the subject of a restraining order banning him from contacting his partner for the next five years.

If you or someone you know is affected by domestic abuse visit the Live Fear Free website or call the helpline on 0808 80 10 800.

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