A father beat his girlfriend ‘black and blue’ after she was embarrassed by his drunken behaviour at a Halloween party.

Thomas Antony Bannister, 30, had been watching the Clarets at Turf Moor on October 29 when he came home drunk after a few pints.

Prosecuting, Stephen Parker at Burnley Crown Court, said Bannister’s partner at the time was taking the children to a Halloween party and Bannister asked to join them.

He kept drinking and his behaviour embarrassed his partner and she decided that they should all leave.

When they got outside, Bannister picked up the baby seat and started swinging it around and called her a vile name.

Mr Parker said: “She slapped him and he wouldn’t let go of the car seat with the baby in it.

“He turned toward her and punched her in the face.

“He kept putting his hand in and near her mouth.

“One of the children was trying to stop him.”

A number of men intervened and managed to break them up and the woman and children was taken home whilst Bannister tried to sort out a hotel to stay in for the night.

At about 4am, the woman heard a knocking on the door and opened it to find Bannister stood there who stopped her from closing the door again.

He said he could not get a hotel. She tried and found one straight away but he headed upstairs.

She looked at his phone and found images of naked women which upset her and she threw the phone at him.

Mr Parker added: “He jumped up and grabbed her in a headlock and she couldn’t get out.

“He spat at her and was throwing lots of punches.

“He pushed her to the ground and kicked toward her face. After the second kick she noticed there was blood on her lip.”

When he saw she was bleeding, he stopped and apologised for what he had done.

After his arrest, he was interviewed and said he could not remember what he had done but that if she said it had happened then it must have done.

Mark Stuart, mitigating, said that Bannister, of Langroyd Road, Colne, was extremely remorseful.

Mr Stuart said: “He is extremely sorry for what happened.

“He is deeply ashamed of what had happened.”

Mr Stuart added that Bannister’s behaviour was ‘out of character’ and that the woman has since described him as a ‘devoted father’.

Judge Sara Dodd said that the woman was ‘black and blue’ after the assault but said it was clear that Bannister was remorseful and that he was a good father, deciding to spare him jail.

Judge Dodd said: “She is the mother of your child.

“You first assault upon her was on the street as she was trying to get you to go home.

“You were intoxicated. You were unpleasant. You punched her.

“Her child tried to stop you.”

Bannister was handed a sentence of 12 months, suspended for 18 months.

He must complete a 120 day alcohol abstinence requirement, a building better relationships court and 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days