text: Violent: But Samuel Tushingham has been spared jail for attacking his girlfriend . A thug who repeatedly attacked his girlfriend and dragged her by the hair has been spared jail after a judge told him he was 'almost too dangerous' for prison. Samuel Tushingham dragged his partner out of bed, slapped her around the head and threw a toaster at her, a court was told. District judge Bridget Knight described the 26-year-old as a 'caveman' - but despite this ordered him to go on a relationship course instead of sentencing him to jail. After a trial at Halton Magistrates' Court, she told him: 'You acted like a caveman, dragging the victim by her hair and assaulting her over a period of months between April and September. 'You are almost too dangerous for me to send you to prison because you need work done on you. 'You will be on the course with other men and I hope you find it quite repulsive the excuses people give for beating a woman because there is no excuse for acting like this.' Tushingham, an advertising salesman from Wigan, was given a 26-week sentence suspended for 12 months, and ordered to attend a course called 'improving relations supporting change'. He must also carry out 80 hours of unpaid work and pay more than £1,300 in costs and fines, and is banned from contacting his victim. The judge who spared him jail previously told footballer Carlos Tevez it would be 'overly punitive' for him to hand over his £55,000 Porsche after he was convicted of a driving offence, and fined him £3,000 instead. Ms Knight also made headlines when she criticised Coronation Street star Barbara Knox for wasting court time by pleading not guilty to drink-driving and then admitting the offence at the last minute. Tushingham pleaded guilty to one charge of assault by beating, which took place in April last year when he kicked his then-partner in the thigh, causing a large bruise and knocking her off her feet at her home in Warrington, Cheshire. He was found guilty of another three assault charges which took place later in 2014. In June, Tushingham punched the victim twice in the leg, grabbed her hair and slapped her, causing her to fall over on an upturned plug and resulting in her having difficulty walking and sitting for several weeks. Court: Tushingham was given a suspended sentence at Halton Magistrates' Court, pictured . He also grabbed her by the hair and threw a toaster which hit her on the hip in a separate incident in July. In September, they travelled to stay with Tushingham's sister in Cambridge when the pair argued and he repeatedly slapped her round the head then dragged her out of bed by her hair, hitting her head against a radiator. Wendy Newton, prosecuting, said: 'The victim said that the reason she had not reported the incidents earlier was because she didn't think they were serious enough to waste police time with. 'But after speaking to her mother, she realised that the violence was getting worse.' Rachel Andrews, defending, said that Tushingham had struggled with alcohol and mental health problems, but now has a full-time job at a local newspaper and is also the drummer in a band.
target: Samuel Tushingham, 26, pulled his girlfriend by the hair and kicked her .
  Judge Bridget Knight says he is 'almost too dangerous to send to prison'
  Thug is given a suspended sentence and told to go on relationship course .