MAN who assaulted his ex-partner and her friend before going on a shop wrecking spree has been given a 120-day booze ban.

Lee Blinco, 38, found himself in trouble after going to an address in Whitehaven on July 6.

Blinco got into a disagreement with a woman at that property. “She told him to leave. He refused,” said prosecutor Brendan Burke at Carlisle Crown Court.

As Blinco’s ex-partner arrived, she got between the pair to prevent an anticipated assault.

But the former girlfriend was then assaulted herself. “He pushed her to the ground, causing no injury,” said Mr Burke. The woman had arrived with a friend who Blinco then slapped in the face and against no injury resulted.

“He then took himself off down the street and smashed up bottles of alcohol in a nearby Morrisons store,” said Mr Burke. “He was located at his home address. While being handcuffed he started struggling and resisting. His fists were clenched. He attempted to head-butt a PC and failed.

“The PC was assisted by colleagues to get this defendant to ground and restrained.”

Blinco admitted assaulting the two women and the police constable, and criminal damage valued at £65.87.

Defence barrister Anthony Parkinson agreed with an observation by Judge Nicholas Barker that Blinco was a “thorough nuisance”.

He had 84 offences on his criminal record which, the court heard, spanned “across the criminal calendar”.

Deciding not to jail Blinco, of Lakeland Avenue, Whitehaven, Judge Barker imposed a 24-month community order which includes a 120-day alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement.

“I have read what the author of a progress report says about your relationship with alcohol,” the judge had said as he prepared to announce the booze ban. “You are not going to like what I say next. You need to know that it is ‘no alcohol’. You need to get that into your head.”

A resigned Blinco, from the dock, replied: “I can’t drink. I can’t handle it.”

The judge responded: “If you do: straight back to prison.”

Blinco attended the hearing in custody having been arrested and remanded in respect of his non-attendance at court last week.

Judge Barker asked a probation officer to provide an update at an additional court hearing which was fixed for September 8.

“Come the eighth, it better be good,” Judge Barker told Blinco of the impending update.