A CHIPPENHAM man has pleaded guilty to assaulting the mother of his unborn child.

Jermaine Zico Lyon-Pedley, 28, of Larkham Rise, assaulted Toni Jade Easson in an unprovoked attack in Bath on November 11, 2015, North West Wiltshire Magistrates’ Court was told last Thursday.

Ms Easson, who had been with Lyon-Pedley for five months at the time, was a couple of months pregnant when the incident occurred, said prosecutor Pauline Lambert.

Ms Lambert described how Lyon-Pedley was driving erratically in Bath and then suddenly slammed on the brakes, taking Ms Easson’s handbag and throwing it out of the window.

When she fetched her belongings he began shouting at her and when she told him to take a train home with the money she offered him, the car door swung against her and knocked her to the ground.

Lyon-Pedley, who is currently homeless, unemployed and receiving job seeker’s allowance, then threw her keys away before disappearing after a bystander called the police.

He later said that she was ‘pushing his buttons’ at the time leading up to the incident.

Defence solicitor Emma Handslip said he was due to see a psychiatrist and has been on medication since October, and that his mental health issues may have exacerbated the situation.

She added that he admits it was a reckless act but that it was not premeditated, rather it was impulsive.

Police said Ms Easson had never asked for compensation or a restraining order against Lyon-Pedley.

Lyon-Pedley was given a community order, and told to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work, 15 days of rehabilitation activity and pay a victim surcharge of £60.

Magistrate Martin Clark said: “There will be no custodial sentence but we are imposing a 12-month community order and you must comply with these terms or the consequences could be severe.

“The fact that you pleaded guilty at the first time of asking has been accepted and I thank you for that.

“It was reckless but it appears more emotional harm than physical harm has been caused and that Ms Easson wants you in her life.

“If you want to be involved in the baby’s life you need to some real thinking if you want to become an active part of their future and become a good father.”