A jealous Ipswich man who “beat up” his former partner and her new boyfriend after seeing them walking down the street together has been jailed for six months.

Carlos Almeida was in London Road, Ipswich on New Year’s Day when he saw Agnieszka Zajaczowska and her boyfriend Jose Da Viega Furtado and walked up to them “at some speed”, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

“They formed the opinion he was not happy with what he saw,” said Catherine Bradshaw, prosecuting. Almeida went straight up to Miss Zajaczowska and slapped her across the left side of her face and then slapped her on the right side of her face.

Mr Furtado put his hands over Miss Zajaczowska’s head to try and protect her but he was then punched twice to his left eye by Almeida, said Miss Bradshaw.

Miss Zajaczowska told police she had split up with the defendant a year earlier but had ongoing problems with him. “He didn’t accept she didn’t want to be with him anymore,” said Miss Bradshaw. She said following the incident Almeida had gone to Miss Zajaczowska’s home and thrown stones at her window.

Almeida, 34, of Burrell Road, Ipswich admitted two offences of assault by beating and being in breach of an eight month suspended prison sentence.

Jailing him for a total of six months Judge Martyn Levett said the defendant had been jealous and controlling during his relationship with Miss Zajaczowska and had continued to pester her after they split up. Almeida told the court the encounter was accidental and the incident wouldn’t have taken place if he had been sober.