A MAN who tried to throw his ex-girlfriend over a bannister at their home walked free from court after a judge heard he had never before been violent towards her.

Judge Simon Bourne-Arton, QC, today (Monday, December 17) described the incident as “a genuine one-off” and imposed a suspended prison sentence on 43-year-old David Lambert.

Teesside Crown Court heard how Lambert and his partner split up a year ago but he continued to live with her and their four children because he had nowhere else to go.

On July 31, they were both at home and had an argument about the woman sending text messages to a neighbour, prosecutor David Crook told Judge Bourne-Arton.

Lambert hurled abuse at his former partner, stormed across the road to confront the other man, returned and grabbed her arms and tried to shove her over the bannister.

Mr Crook said he instead pushed her down the stairs and the next thing she remembered was waking up and Lambert on the phone to the emergency services.

The woman suffered a swollen and bruised right eye, cuts to her right eyelid and a bruised and swollen face which needed treatment in hospital, Mr Crook told the court.

When he was arrested at their home, Lambert told police: “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it. I just lost it. 

“I tried to throw her over the bannister as well. Thank god she didn't go over.”

Lambert, of Brotton Road, Thornaby, near Stockton, admitted an actual bodily harm assault and was given a four-month suspended jail sentence with unpaid work.

His barrister, Brian Russell, told the court: “It does appear something was going on which caused him to lose his temper."