Two terrified children pleaded with jealous father Ricky Atkins to stop a brutal assault on his partner.

The youngsters – aged six and nine – were forced to watch the horrifying attack by the violent joiner at their home in Minster.

As the controlling thug punched and kicked 23-year-old Chloe Beaney, Atkins' son pleaded: "Stop, dad... leave her alone."

Ms Beaney's six-year-old daughter then said: "Stop hurting my mummy!"

The child was then led away in tears upstairs by the brave nine-year-old as neighbours became so alarmed they alerted police.

The victim later told police: "I do not want my daughter to grow up in this kind of environment. It is not healthy.

"He slammed the living room door, smashing the glass - before punching her to the floor and then kicked her in the head, body and back..." - Donna East, prosecuting

"And she already thinks that what Ricky does is normal and how relationships work. I don't want her to end up with the same problems I have. I just want my daughter to be safe."

A judge heard how the incident was sparked by Ms Beaney planting a farewell kiss on the cheek of a male friend in her mother's pub.

But it was enough to cause controlling lover Atkins, 34, to seethe with rage during the journey home to Rose Gardens.

Once inside their home – and away from prying eyes – he turned violent, smashing a glass panel and injuring his son.

Prosecutor Donna East told Canterbury Crown Court: "The moment they got into the house, the defendant became very abusive towards his partner.

"He slammed the living room door, smashing the glass - before punching her to the floor and then kicked her in the head, body and back.

"He continued to punch her to the back of the head and all the while the children were witnessing this."

The prosecutor said even though this was the first incident reported to police, Ms Beaney - who was 16 when they began their relationship - had complained about previous incidents.

"She said that the defendant was a controlling man who was jealous and describes in her police statement various incidents of violence over the years and often putting her down," she added.

On the night of the attack in March, Ms Beaney had been with the children to her mother's pub and Atkins arrived later.

The prosecutor added: "As Ms Beaney left she said goodbye to someone she was friendly with and the two kissed each other on the cheeks.

"After the call from the neighbour, police arrived and arrested him. Ms Beaney was later seen by a doctor and treated for bruising to her eye, a head cut and a nose bleed."

The court heard the couple were no longer together.

Judge Heather Norton jailed Atkins, of Rose Gardens, Minster, for 14 months after he admitted assault causing actual bodily harm.

She told him: "This was a completely nasty and unpleasant incident done in front of your two very young children.

"This is not the way normal relationships should work and the sooner that message gets out to men and women, whether victims or perpetrators, the better."

A charge of making a threat to kill, which Atkins denied, was ordered to be left on the file.

The court heard Ms Beaney wrote to the court, saying that - although she did not retract anything in her police statement - she did not wish to support a prosecution.

She added she had been badly affected by the incident and did not want to re-live it in court.