WITHIN six weeks of being released from prison, a 26-year-old Blaenau Ffestiniog man assaulted three people, including his then girlfriend, magistrates at Dolgellau have heard.

The court was shown photographs of the bruising caused to his now ex girlfriend Sophie Patricia Ramsell’s arms and back.

Jason Edward Chapman, 26, of 8 Newborough Street, pleaded guilty to three common assault charges on Sophie Ramsell, Jon Ferguson and Martin Jones.

It was while he was assaulting his girlfriend on the evening of 9 August that two people came out of the Meirion Vaults in Blaenau Ffestiniog and went to help the screaming victim, the court heard.

The two men who went to her assistance - Jon Ferguson and Martin Jones - were then also assaulted by the defendant.

Tracey Willingham said that both the defendant and his then girlfriend had been to a 50th birthday party and were intoxicated. An argument developed after Chapman spent a lot of time talking to a former girlfriend.

It was while walking home that the assault on Miss Ramsell occurred, with the defendant pushing her to the floor and spitting into her face twice.

Chapman had pleaded not guilty, but changed his plea during a recent trial. He said that he could not remember much about what happened and was shocked that he has spat at his girlfriend.

Mrs Willingham asked the magistrates to impose a restraining order to keep Champan away from Miss Ramsell and Mr Furguson after both said that they were scared of Chapman and his family after they had given evidence against the defendant.

Defence solicitor Richard Williams made a passionate plea to the magistrates not to send his client back to prison, stating that he would benefit more from supervision by the probation service.

Court chairman Keith Lycett told Chapman that he had breached the custody threshold and stating that he was still on a supervision order after his prison release.

Champan was sentenced to 26 weeks custody for the assault on Miss Ramsell, 20 weeks for the assault on Jon Ferguson and two weeks for the assault on Martin Jones, all to run concurrent making 26 weeks in total.

The magistrates imposed an indefinite restraining order keeping Chapman away from the three victims. He was ordered not to contact them directly or indirectly through a third party.

On his release from prison after service half his sentence, Chapman was ordered to pay £300 compensation to Miss Ramsell and £400 to Jon Ferguson for their injured together with £520 court costs. He was banned from entering the Meirion Vaults Public House.