A thug who punched and spat at his girlfriend in a series of jealous outbursts has been spared jail after a judge said it was "the only way" to protect the public.

Canterbury Crown Court heard Aarran Henderson attacked the woman, from Ashford, over three days, leaving her with bruising to a hand and eye, a cut to her eyebrow and a broken fingernail.

After one of his assaults at her home, the violent bully, who has 39 previous convictions for 79 offences, said he had punched her because she was "a mouthy s**g".

The victim later told police that she believed he would kill her.

But at Henderson's sentencing hearing on Thursday, Judge Simon Taylor KC said legislation including sentencing guidelines had left him with "a stark choice" on how to deal with such "disgraceful conduct".

He told the court he was faced with either imposing a prison term that would simply result in Henderson's release within weeks, or handing down a community-based penalty where he could receive the rehabilitation needed.

Judge Taylor ruled therefore that "the best decision for our community" was to suspend the 17-month jail term for two years.

But he warned the 46-year-old: "Had a longer sentence been available to me, you would be going to prison. Break the order and you will come back before me and you will be re-sentenced.

"People argue but what people don't do is resort to violence.

“The purpose of this sentence is to protect the public and the only way I can best achieve that is through rehabilitation."

Henderson, of Chester Road, Ilford, in Essex, pleaded guilty to two offences of assault causing actual bodily harm and one of common assault on this then partner on three consecutive days in May.

The court was told he had previously subjected the same woman to incidents of violence and harassment. Two months earlier she had reportedly stabbed him, leaving him having to be airlifted to a London hospital where he remained for four days.

"The defendant said he had punched her because she was a mouthy s**g...”

It was against this background of a "volatile relationship" that prosecutor Martin Yale said the first of the three assaults occurred on May 16.

As Henderson went through his girlfriend's phone, they began to argue about her ex-partner. He went to punch her, aiming for her face, but struck her hand instead as she put it up to protect herself.

"This caused bruising and three days later she said she still struggled to grip," said Mr Yale.

"The defendant said he had punched her because she was a mouthy s**g."

The next day at 4am, Henderson woke his victim shouting about her ex after seeing messages between them on her phone.

He then punched her in the face to her left eye, causing a 1cm cut to her eyebrow that needed to be glued, the court was told.

The last assault occurred on May 18. Henderson had repeatedly called and texted the victim while she was out but missed them all as her phone was on silent, said the prosecutor.

"When she got home he was verbally aggressive,” he told the court.

“He pushed her onto the bed. He was shouting he would kill her if she ever lied to him again.

"He began spitting in her face and grabbing her, scratching at her eyes, and it was during the course of that that her acrylic nail broke."

The victim later told police she was mentally as well as physically hurt, stating: "The assaults on me he is in court for may seem less serious but the emotional impact on me and my family has been devastating."

Henderson was arrested but gave a no comment interview. His previous crimes include 16 offences for violence, including assaulting police and causing grievous bodily harm.

The court heard that Henderson has since undertaken several courses while in custody to address his behaviour, and also secured a charity-run residential rehabilitation placement "through his own efforts" which was due to start on Monday.

Gordon Ross, defending, said: "This is a real opportunity, and something that has come from him and a real change in attitude."

Explaining the "complex and unenviable exercise" he had faced in reaching his decision to impose a suspended sentence, Judge Taylor told Henderson: "You have behaved disgracefully towards domestic partners for such a very long time.

"You need to break the cycle somehow because it has been going on for years and years and all you have done is caused harm."

The court heard that due to time spent on remand, if he had been sentenced to 17 months' immediate imprisonment he would be released after just four months.

Stringent conditions attached to the suspended sentence include 120 days of alcohol abstinence and monitoring, 50 days' rehabilitation activity requirement, and attendance on the accredited Building Better Relationships programme.