A drunk Blackburn man threw a mobile phone at his pregnant partner’s head during an argument, causing her to bleed.

Darren Cooper, 38, followed his partner into the bathroom at around 6am on September 20, after he had returned from a night out drinking.

He told her he ‘needed help’ but was told she was not interested, as she could tell he was drunk.

Cooper continued to shout that he needed help and his partner sad she would call the police if he did not calm down.

He proceeded to snatch the phone out of her hand, and as she was running down the stairs to get away, she felt something hit the back of her head which subsequently began to sting.

A neighbour made reference to the fact there was blood, and when she put her hand to her head, there was blood on it.

At this point, Cooper rang the police himself and when they attended, he said he needed to be taken into custody.

He accepted he threw the phone at the woman and one of the officers noted there were two cuts to the back of her heard.

He was subsequently arrested and made a no comment interview.

Preston Crown Court heard how Cooper, of New Wellington Street, Blackburn, was on licence at the time of this incident for an offence of violence committed in Scotland, for which he was given a sentence of 10 years and four months and was released in 2018.

Mitigating for Cooper, Helen Larton said: "He was released from a sentence in Scotland in 2018 and has essentially rebuilt his life following that release.

“He was in full-time employment, firstly as a plasterer and then at a removal company.

“He stayed out of trouble essentially for five years.

“He did something very, very stupid indeed and threw a phone at his pregnant partner.”

Sentencing, Judge Richard Gioserano said: “You are now 38 years old and you have been a violent man in your time.

“In 2014, in Scotland, you were sentenced to 10 years and four months for violence and you were released on October 8, 2018.

"It seemed, at least until now, that long sentence had the desired effect because you stayed out of trouble for nearly five years.

“Drink and drugs seems to have been your downfall here. You were in drink, this was violence in a domestic context.

"You made efforts upon your release in 2018 to put violence behind you and live a decent life. You have done damage to that.

“You no doubt thought yourself violence was in the past and it would not rear its ugly head.”

Cooper pleaded guilty to assault and criminal damage at a plea and trial preparation hearing.

He was sentenced to a total of seven months in prison.