A prolific offender has been jailed again after assaulting his former girlfriend during a drunken early morning rant.

Darrell Lambert, of Hawke Road, Ipswich, was sentenced to a total of 15 months’ imprisonment by Ipswich Crown Court.

The 28-year-old received 10 months in jail after admitting actual bodily harm, and a further five months’ imprisonment for breaching a six-month suspended prison sentence he was given in June last year for burglary.

The court heard Lambert – who had 46 previous convictions for 142 offences - had already spent a month in custody before the sentencing hearing.

Prosecutor Michael Crimp said Lambert had split up with his ex-partner two years before the assault on October 4 last year. The pair had known each other for 12 to 13 years.

She was asleep in bed with their 10-year-old daughter at around 1.30am when she heard Lambert shouting outside her home and throwing stones at her bedroom window.

The former girlfriend tried to ignore him but he continued shouting for 10 to 15 minutes.

Lambert then managed to get into her bedroom by climbing through a window in the airing cupboard. He continued shouting and abusing her even though she told him to get out.

She attempted to phone 999 but Lambert took the telephone from her, the court heard.

Mr Crimp said there was a scuffle which carried on downstairs in the doorway and the living room.

The woman continued to try to call the emergency services and there was a further scuffle in the street.

Lambert had a wine bottle and his ex-partner received a blow. Although she did not know whether it was from the bottle wine spilled over her.

The former girlfriend ended up on the ground screaming with Lambert shouting abuse at her.

A neighbour came out and was shouting at Lambert to go away.

The incident ended after 10 to 15 minutes with Lambert being arrested and his former partner sustaining a split lip, chipped tooth and bruising to her head and right cheek.

The court was told although Lambert had a lengthy criminal record his crimes were mainly for driving offences and burglary, not violence.

Lindsay Cox, mitigating, conceded: “His behaviour does him no credit at all.”

However, Mr Cox stressed there had been no previous incidents of domestic violence.