A LATIN romeo is on his way back to Spain following being convicted of attacking his English girlfriend after coming to live with her in Ilkley following a holiday romance.

Jealous Cristobal Garcia Moreno punched Susan Brooke in the face during a drunken rage when she returned to her Ilkley home after a night out with another male friend, a court heard.

Speaking through an interpreter when he appeared before Bingley magistrates last Friday, Moreno, 38, of Malaga, pleaded guilty to assaulting Mrs Brooke and resisting a policeman who had come to arrest him after him after a fracas in Queen's Drive, on Wednesday, January 13. The court heard that the policeman, PC Eric Sillence was left with a broken wrist after a struggle which resulted in both him and the Spaniard falling over.

Louise Jenkins, prosecuting told magistrates the pair had met towards the end of last year while Mrs Brooke was on holiday in Spain and that Moreno had come to live with her in Ilkley in November.

She said Mrs Brooke had gone out with another friend on Wednesday night, adding: "When she returned she found the defendant had been drinking quite heavily at home.

"He took exception to the fact she had been out with this other male friend and an argument developed."

Mrs Jenkins said Moreno punched and slapped Mrs Brooke in the face several times, causing a cut lip and painful bruising around her mouth.

She said the police were alerted and Moreno arrested, adding: "After he'd been handcuffed and was being escorted to the police

vehicle he struggled with one of the officers causing them both to fall to the ground. Unfortunately the officer suffered a broken wrist as a result."

Asif Munir, mitigating, said Moreno had been living in an intimate nature in Ilkley with Mrs Brooke for more than seven weeks.

He said when Mrs Brooke went for a meal with the other man Mr Moreno had started drinking to 'drown his sorrows' and that the alcohol had got the better of him.

He told the court Moreno recalled striking out at Mrs Brooke on her return but because of the drink could not remember how many times he hit her.

He told magistrates Mrs Brooke had delivered a suitcase and bag - containing all Moreno's belongings including his passport and 35,000 Pesetas, about $140 - to Group 4, the security firm which took the Spaniard to court.

Magistrates gave Moreno a six month conditional discharge.

After the case, Mrs Brooke revealed she had now allowed Moreno to go back to her house in Ilkley but insisted he would be leaving as soon as he could get a flight.

The 49-year-old widow said the couple had met when she had taken one of Moreno's horse-drawn carriage rides around town and had had a whirlwind romance.

She said: "We were hoping to have a nice life together but if you can't have a couple of friends then it's a bit tough and he'll have to go back now.

"I have let him stay a couple of days until he gets his flight home - I'm stupid but he reckons he's sorry and he has nowhere else to go."

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