A bin man said to have a bad temper in drink hit a woman with an electric flex during a fight, a court was told.
Lee Carr, of Railway Street, Nelson, was given a suspended jail sentence after he pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm to Hazel Bullock.
The court also issued a restraining order against him after hearing the pair had had a tempestuous relationship and that the woman’s injuries happened while they were fighting.
Carr said he wanted nothing more to do with the complainant.
The five-month prison term was suspended for a year and came with a Lancashire alcohol specified activity order.
Sentencing at Burnley Crown Court, Judge Beverly Lunt told Carr: “I have put your future in your hands.
“If you do not do it, I will have to send you to prison.
“You would throw away a good job and everything you have.
“It is never right to hit a woman, ever.”
Judge Lunt did not make an order for costs or compensation against the defendant.