Canterbury Crown Court, where Paine was sentenced

by Paul Hooper

Maddened Martin Paine burned with anger after discovering his ex-lover had moved on and had married.

The furious 23-year-old tracked the mother of his two children to her new home in Albert Road, Folkestone through friends on the social networking site Facebook.

And then on a quiet Sunday in March this year he barged into the house where Reanne Austin was and battered her in front of their terrified children.

In a frenzied attack he punched the shocked mother-of-three, kicked her before stamping on her chest.

Her husband Martin Austin, who was also attacked, later described the blood-soaked Reanne as looking “as if someone had thrown a bucket of red paint over her!”

Paine – who was high on a cocktail of prescription drugs and alcohol – left Mr Austin needing six stitches for a mouth wound and nursing a broken finger.

He was jailed for 18 months after admitting two charges of assault causing actual bodily harm – and ordered to stay away from the Austen’s and their home for the next four years.

Judge James O’Mahony heard how Paine, of Calgary Crescent, Folkestone had suffered a desolate time in custody awaiting sentence.

He told him: “You are very fortunate, although you may not think so because of the miserable time you are having in prison.

“But you are extremely fortunate that, but for the resilience of the human frame, you are not facing more serious criminal charges.”

Prosecutor Ian Foinette told Canterbury Crown Court how Paine and Reanne had been in a relationship which had ended “acrimoniously” two years earlier.

He said the couple had two children, aged three and four, and later she had married Martin and had another child.

“There had been no contact between her and Paine for some time – and it was somewhat out of the blue when he turned up knocking on the door.”

"you are extremely fortunate that, but for the resilience of the human frame, you are not facing more serious criminal charges" – judge james o'mahony

He said Paine screamed a foul four-letter word at her before forcing his way inside and beginning his attack.

Mr Foinette added: “She was punched to the head, knocked to the ground and while she was there she was kicked and punched to the head.

“The attack took place in front of her children who, not unsurprisingly, became distressed by what they saw.”

Mrs Austin received a crack to her nose, bruising to her eyes “and a boot print on her chest”, the court heard.

“She had blood all over her face and was later described by her husband, who had been upstairs at the time, as looking as if someone had thrown a bucket of red paint over her, such was the extent of the blood.”

He then confronted Paine outside and was beaten and knocked to the ground where his head was stamped on “at least two or three times” – before being twice kicked in the face until he passed out.

Paine was later arrested and told police: “I have had a chance to think about it and I am sorry about what I did. It’s against my moral code and I shouldn’t have done that to her.”

Peter Alcock, defending, said Paine had grown resentful over a dispute about access to their children.

“He struggled because of the children he wasn’t seeing and with his ex-partner having a new husband, his anger and resentment just grew within him. But he bitterly regrets what he did.”

The judge told Paine it had been an attack on “two perfectly innocent people carried out in an ugly manner in front of children.”

He added: “I would be failing in my duty not to send you to prison today.”