A man who launched a violent assault on a woman and bombarded her with threatening phone calls has avoided a jail sentence - after serving almost a year on remand.

Shayne Watson, of Spey Road, Tilehurst, dragged his victim down the stairs of her own home.

She had to plead with him to stop, fearing that her child would witness the attack that happened in February 2023.

There had been a one-month relationship between Watson and the victim, which became strained after the defendant called in a debt the woman allegedly owed him.

Sentencing Watson on February 16, Judge Emma Nott said he had paid to service the woman's car out of his own pocket - only to begin demanding repayment.

Reading Crown Court heard how following an argument on February 21 last year, the defendant threw a phone at the victim. He then grabbed her by the hair, before dragging her down the stairs of her home.

Prosecuting barrister Miles Trigg said: "[The victim] could see, at this point, the door to her child's bedroom open, and she begged the defendant not to do this within sight of her child."

Downstairs, Watson's demeanour reportedly changed and he tried to reconcile with his victim.

In the week after the incident, the defendant made a number of threatening phone calls to the woman demanding money.

Judge Nott said of these communications: "They were nasty, they were persistent, and they did cause upset."

Ultimately, the victim broke off what the judge described as her "aggressive and testing" relationship with Watson. She went to the police, and the defendant was held in custody.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning ABH and one of sending a malicious communication.

In mitigation, Watson emphasised that his mental health is poor, and that his behaviour towards the victim may have resulted from his use of anabolic steroids. He said he has come off these while in prison.

In the end, Judge Nott sentenced Watson to one year and 11 months in prison - but noted he had already served half this time in custody while on remand. This made him eligible for immediate release.

He has since been released into the community, subject to a mental health treatment requirement and a restraining order preventing him from contacting his victim.