A lorry driver became suspicious of his partner after he started dabbling in the illicit drug cocaine, a court heard.

At Carlisle’s magistrates’ court, Michael James Heffernan, 32, entered guilty pleas to a common assault on his partner Sarah Louise Bell and a second offence of breaching a bail condition by contacting her.

Prosecutor Diane Jackson said the two had been in a relationship for 10 years and until last year there was no problem.

Since then, he had become suspicious of her, constantly accusing her of infidelity, the court heard.

“She puts it down to him doing drugs,” said Mrs Jackson.

He would check her text messages and check her Facebook page to find out who she had become friends with.

The court then heard about the offences that Heffernan, of Broadoaks Court, Carlisle, admitted.

Miss Bell recalled how the defendant returned to their home after a night out at 3am on May 25 when he appeared in the bedroom and shouted at her. Again, he suggested she had cheated on him, which she said was not the case.

She said she did not know what he was talking about.

Whenever he was under the influence, he behaved like this, she said.

He again started checking her Facebook page and then suddenly punched her in the face, which left her in tears and nursing a black eye.

Mrs Jackson said the victim now felt scared much of the time and was even nervous of cars going past the house in case it was Heffernan.

The victim said: “I’m scared of what he has become because he is not himself.

“He has a problem with cocaine and I have tried to get him help with the doctor and Unity [a drug and alcohol recovery service in Carlisle].

“When he gets things in his head you can’t talk him out of it.”

Geoff Lockerbie, for the defendant, who has no previous convictions, said Heffernan had for the first time sought help the day before his court appearance, going to Unity.

District Judge Gerald Chalk said that he needed to know more about the defendant before passing sentence.

He granted Heffernan bail. Sentence will be passed on June 2 after background reports are prepared.