A MAN who threw a bottle of bleach at his girlfriend during a row, causing burns to her back, may avoid heavy punishment after she told a court she still wants to marry him.

A MAN who threw a bottle of bleach at his girlfriend during a row, causing burns to her back, may avoid heavy punishment after she told a court she still wants to marry him.

Dale Sunderland, 37, of Trefoil Close, Ipswich, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm at South East Suffolk Magistrates court.

He will learn of his fate after a pre-sentence report has been prepared on July 30.

The court heard that Sunderland and his partner of seven months had been drinking together on Sunday June 1, prior to the incident.

Neighbours living in Trefoil Close said they heard a woman crying "let me out", "don't burn me" and "stop burning me" and then what was described as "an animal-like whine."

They then saw Sunderland's girlfriend stumbling in the road and holding her back before she collapsed onto a grass verge.

She suffered burns from her shoulder to the base of her spine. Sunderland was arrested at the house shortly after the incident and told police that he must have caused the injuries as they were not there before.

Roger Stewart, for Sunderland, said his client had a good relationship with his girlfriend and they intended to marry.

He said the argument occurred in the bathroom when Sunderland started to run a bath and his girlfriend was shouting at him.

He said that Sunderland, who is registered blind, picked up the first bottle he laid his hands on and threw it at his girlfriend but did not know the bottle contained skin-burning bleach.

Sunderland's partner said in a statement, which was read out in court, that he had shown great remorse since the incident and said she was "looking forward to becoming Mrs Sunderland this October" and wished to drop the charges.