AN abusive boyfriend with a history of violence has been jailed after subjecting his girlfriend to 'degrading' domestic abuse.

'Possessive and jealous' Stephen Clive Rimmer, aged 31, of Crossway, Widnes, would accuse his partner of 12 months of being unfaithful.

Warrington Crown Court heard on Friday how Rimmer would insist on smelling her crotch to 'see whether she had cheated on him'.

Ffion Tomos, prosecuting, said: "(Rimmer) would control every aspect of her life and who she was allowed to associate with.

"She was completely isolated from family and friends.

"The defendant was almost convinced she was cheating on him.

"He would check the bed sheets to see if anyone had been in the property."

The court heard on October 10 last year, Rimmer punched the victim in the nose when she was at her home in Warrington.

It caused her nose to bleed and the defendant started crying and apologising for his actions.

The following day, Rimmer once again attacked his girlfriend, this time in at the Village Hotel in Warrington.

Drunk, he again accused her of cheating, slapping her round the face and grabbing her by the throat.

Ms Tomos added he then pushed her onto the bed and strangled her.

Rimmer was convicted of two counts of assaults at trial.

The defendant has nine previous convictions for 13 offences, including assaulting a former girlfriend.

Eric Lamb, defending, said he knows his behaviour is 'unacceptable' and that he needs to 'modify' it.

He added the defendant has 'deficiencies to do with thinking and problem solving'.

Judge Nicholas Woodward said: "You were targetting a woman who was vulnerable and one of these offences occurred in her home.

"There is an element of gratuitous degradation and you were clearly exploiting her and abusing your power and influence over her."

Rimmer was jailed for 12 months as the two assaults breached a suspended sentence imposed for a separate violent attack.