A VIOLENT thug threatened to kill his ex-partner before smashing her car windscreen and beating her in a car park with a large piece of wood.

Jonathan Franks, of Plumleys, Pitsea, attacked his former partner after spotting her in a Basildon car park in February.

The 45-year-old beat her on the head with the piece of wood, leaving her with swelling and cuts to her forehead.

Franks was jailed for two years yesterday after he admitted affray and making threats to kill at Basildon Crown Court.

Prosecuting, Harry Hewitt, said: “On February 1 he saw her in the street in Basildon and threatened to kill her.

“Then days later he saw her in a car park and he went over with a large lump of wood shaped like a baseball bat.

“He smashed her car windscreen and then grabbed her hair through a partly open window and tried to drag her out of the window.

He then hit her on the head with the lump of wood causing swelling and cuts.

“She was terrified and believed her was going to kill her but she did manage to get away quickly.”

Summarising a victim impact statement, Mr Hewitt added: “She’s always looking over her shoulder when she goes out and is paranoid of being followed. She is anxious and has trouble sleeping and cannot relax.”

Mitigating, John Caudle told the court Franks is set to start training for a lorry driving job and is dealing with drug misuse.

He said: “He has cancer but it’s in remission and he’s ready to start training to be a HGV driver. He has the drugs under control and plans to move right away from the area.”

Sentencing, Mark Ainsworth, said: “There was a significant degree of animosity between the two of you and it just takes a moment to read the victim impact statement to appreciate the impact your conduct had on her.

“It’s clear you have made progress in your life but you caused significant distress to the victim.”