Upset when his ex-partner began detailing her sex life with another person to him, a Falmouth man thrust a Cornetto ice cream in her face, bruising her chin, Truro magistrates heard.

Ben Lucas Moses, aged 20, of The Beacon, Falmouth, pleaded guilty to assaulting Katie Louise Crowle on October 11.

Gail Hawksley, for the CPS, said police answered a 999 call from Ms Crowle, which had ended with a scream. At her home she told them Moses had hit her in the face.

Ms Hawksley said the couple had split up about three weeks earlier after a four-year relationship and having two children together. When he called at the house on October 11 Moses had talked about their getting back together again, and she told him she was seeing someone else in an effort to stop him pestering her.

He put the ice cream into her face, causing pain and giving her a small bruise and swelling by her lip.

Moses told the police later that Ms Crowle had said she had a new boy friend who was going to be their children’s father, and had gone into details about their sex life which he felt was really hurtful.

He picked up a Cornetto the children had dropped and attempted to push it into her mouth. It missed her mouth, connecting with her chin, but not hitting her with any force.

He had no previous convictions, but a caution for assaulting the same woman.

Moses’ solicitor Rob Eccleston said the victim had talked about her new partner and about the sexual relations she was having with him and had gone into some detail which Moses found very upsetting. She said the children no longer needed him and her new partner was going to be their father.

“This was the trigger for him picking up the Cornetto and thrusting it towards her face,” he said. Moses did not accept that any injury had been caused by doing that.

The court heard that the couple had since reconciled.

Moses was fined £100 with £105 costs and surcharge.