A WINCHESTER man has been convicted of assaulting his girlfriend in an alcohol-fuelled rage as she tried to stop him from drink driving.

Richard Mead had pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm on his then partner Sophie Dickinson and to affray, but today he was convicted of both counts.

He was found not guilty of another charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on Miss Dickinson’s brother Ethan.

A trial at Winchester Crown Court was told that on night of the incident, June 21, 2019, Mead had been drinking at the King Charles pub, in Kings Worthy, when he, girlfriend Sophie Dickinson and friends went back to her house in Maple Drive.

Before leaving the pub Mead, of Roundhuts Rise, Winnall, bought two bottles of Prosecco, with the plan that they would be shared amongst the group, but the night became violent when others did not want to drink.

The 24-year-old became “agitated” and started swearing. He tried to get into his car, but his girlfriend and friend stood in the way.

Giving evidence, Miss Dickinson said: “He just wanted to leave so he got up out of the driver’s seat and he pushed me to the floor. Rich was able to shut the car door and reversed very quickly off our drive.”

Mead returned later after his mum had found him. Miss Dickinson said that as she collected her belongings from his car she took his keys.

“He just kept asking where his keys are. He walked towards me and I remember him grabbing me,” she said.

“I fell to the floor. He was trying to get to my bag where the keys were. I just remember that he was on top of me.”

She continued: “I remember having my hands over the back of my head. I just remember being on the floor a lot and feeling very scared. My brother just kept telling me to come instead the house.”

Miss Dickinson suffered cuts and bruising to her right knee, along with bruising to her left leg, forehead and back of her hand. She also sustained a swollen right ankle, which was grazed.

The prosecution had claimed that Mead also attacked the victim’s brother by punching him and threatening him with a bottle of Prosecco, but the jury did not believe this story.

During the incident Mead was hit by Mr Dickinson with a golf club in which he suffered deep lacerations to his head. Mr Dickinson was arrested but released with no further action.

Mr Recorder Chidgey ordered a pre-sentence report and addressing Mead, he said: “Before I deal with your sentence, I want to find out more information about you. It is important that you are open and straight forward as you can about what happened.”

He said to Mead’s barrister, Rose Burns: “I am particularly concerned about how he reacts when he has had too much to drink.”

Ms Burns said that the defence team will be producing a report from an expert regarding Mead’s ADHD.

Mead will be sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on June 4.