A MAN who appeared to try to knee-cap his partner in a drunken row on her return from a night out was jailed for nine months yesterday.

Durham Crown Court heard that Kevin Elliott refused to allow the woman into the locked house when she came home after drinking with friends, last October 4.

Natalie Wortley, prosecuting, said the woman broke a window to get into the house in Chester-le-Street.

But, once inside, she was met by Elliott, who punched and kicked her several times then beat her with a wooden leg from a coffee table.

Miss Wortley said he then appeared to try to knee-cap her by striking her with it continuously on both knees.

Miss Wortley escaped the attack after climbing back out the broken window.

She was badly bruised about her head, body, arms and legs, and suffered lacerations to one of her elbows and her right knee, for which she still receives physiotherapy.

Euan Duff, for Elliott, said it had been a "fraught relationship, with fault on both sides", which came to a head after both had been drinking.

Elliott, of Fifth Avenue, Chester-le-Street, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm.