A man who admitted an assault on his ex-girlfriend and damaging her mother’s car was sentenced to a year’s probation yesterday.

Cory Bean, 27, pleaded guilty in Magistrates’ Court to an assault on Shirdonne Woollery and damaging a car that belonged to her mother, Donna.

The court heard that Shirdonne Woollery, who had been in a relationship with Bean for seven years before they separated in February last year, visited his Pembroke home on August 22 to pick up her daughter.

Bean, who is not the father of the girl, told Ms Woollery that her daughter was not “going anywhere” and attempted to stop the girl from leaving.

Ms Woollery talked to Bean and he let the girl leave, but punched Ms Woollery in the face before he took her car keys and threw them away.

Ms Woollery attempted to retrieve her keys, but Bean continued to punch her in the face.

She later got away and got in to the car, which belonged to her mother, but Bean used an unknown object to break the back windscreen and hit the front of the car.

Ms Woollery drove away with her daughter and phoned the police, who later arrested Bean.

Bean first appeared in Magistrates’ Court to answer to the charges on August 25.

He pleaded not guilty, but switched his plea to guilty on September 4 and a social inquiry report was ordered.

Karen King-Deane, the Crown Prosecutor, said that a period of probation would be appropriate due to the remorse and “relatively young” age of Bean.

She added that the damage to the car cost a total of $879.

Bean told the court: “I am extremely apologetic to the victim and I apologise to the court.”

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo sentenced Bean to 12 months probation and ordered him to pay a restitution fine of $879.