A DRUNK man broke his partner's arm, twisting it until she felt the bone snap and screamed out in pain following a 'mix-up' over a meeting at the railway station.

Paul Wilks, who insists he is still 'best friends' with his partner, pushed a television over during a row with her then twisted her arm, causing a spiral fracture which made her scream in pain. She ended up having to call an ambulance herself as the defendant said: "You're going to get the police on me aren't you?"

The 60-year-old of Hurcott Road, Kidderminster, admitted grievous bodily harm following the assault on his partner Holly Yeats on April 20 this year.

Michael Conry, prosecuting, said the couple had been in a relationship for about three years and living together for two and a half.

The assault arose following the victim's trip to York and a belief that the defendant had arranged to meet her at the railway station but the meeting did not take place.

Mr Conry said it was clear to her that when the defendant returned home at around 6pm he was drunk.

"He was verbally abusive, blaming her for the mix-up and not being able to meet up in Birmingham" said Mr Conry.

She described him as staring at her before knocking the television onto the floor.

The victim accepted she swore at him, saying: "You've broken the television."

Mr Conry said: "He grabbed hold of her right wrist and twisted so she immediately felt a snapping sensation and a terrible pain. She begged for him to call an ambulance. All he did was stand looking out of the window. She was screaming out for help."

Wilks responded by saying: "You're going to get the police on me aren't you?"

The arm started to swell and she realised it was broken. Eventually she called an ambulance herself, Mr Conry told the court.

Medics later identified a spiral fracture of the forearm and x-rays showed two separate breaks. The defendant was arrested, accepting there had been 'a mix-up' but told officers he had been acting in self-defence. He told them his partner was 'angry and aggressive and moved towards him', saying he had only held onto her arm for a short time.

Judge Robert Juckes QC described it as 'a very unpleasant injury'.

"The main aggravating feature is that it's an attack on a woman in her own home" said the judge.

Wilks had no relevant previous convictions.

Mr Conry said the victim had since left the flat she had shared with Wilks.

In a victim personal statement she said she was 'effectively homeless' and that the injury had left her in constant pain, having an impact on her work.

"I don't have enough funds to have somewhere on my own" she said in the statement.

Wilks, who represented himself at the hearing, said he and Miss Yeats were 'best of friends' and both wanted the matter 'to be sorted' so 'we can move on with our lives'.

He told the judge: "It was a one-off incident due to alcohol which is no longer in my life."

Judge Juckes adjourned the case for a further hearing on October 22 to allow a pre-sentence report to be prepared by the probation service and the prosecution to secure another statement from the victim by way of an update.

The judge warned him: "This is a serious assault. You are risk of a prison sentence in this case. You need to understand that."