A man knocked his ex girlfriend to the floor during a row at her home, Welshpool Magistrates’ Court heard on Tuesday.

Guy Collins, 34, admitted assaulting Rhianydd Price, saying he “slapped her a couple of times” but added they now needed to “be adults” and put their children first.

The court heard that after the assault, Collins was also found to have 0.7 grammes of cannabis in his pocket. He pleaded guilty to both offences.

Rhian Jones, prosecuting, said: “The complainant and the defendant were in a relationship for around four years.

“The relationship ended about two months prior to this incident but he continued to live with her at her address.”

On July 15, the pair had been at Ms Price’s home in Welshpool. She had returned to the house in the afternoon, having gone out the previous day.

Ms Jones said Collins pulled Ms Price’s hair and punched her to the back of the head, causing her to fall to the floor. He then kicked her to the leg. No injuries were caused.

The police were called to the house, and when asked if he had anything in his pockets, Collins produced a small bag of cannabis valued at less than £10.

When interviewed, he said: “I just snapped. It brewed up over the last couple of years. I had a bad day and slapped her round the head a couple of times.”

Ms Jones added that Collins had previous convictions for violent offences, the last in 2011, and possession of cannabis, the last in 2012.

Robert Hanratty, defending, said: “It was a fairly long term relationship but it got into difficulty and things appear to be over.

“He has no history of domestic violence.

“The day before the incident, she said she was going out with friends at 1pm and turned up at about 3.30pm to 4pm the following day.

“It’s no justification for getting violent, but it was a recipe for a disagreement.”

Mr Hanratty said that Collins denied punching Ms Price but accepted the slap may have felt like a punch.

He added: “There were no injuries and it is quite significant also that the complainant is not seeking a restraining order.”

Collins, who now lives on Orchid Walk, Newtown, also addressed the court himself. He said: “This is an isolated incident which culminated over several years of stress.

“If anything good can come out of this now, I hope me and Rhianydd can build on this for mutual respect for each other and be adults and put the kids first.”

Sentencing was adjourned until August 29 for a probation report to be prepared, and Collins was bailed until that date.