A failed businessman beat his long-term girlfriend with a drumstick after telling her: “Here’s your Christmas present”.

John Markham, 46, had become stressed after his stairlift business began to struggle, Bradford Crown Court heard last Friday.

He developed strange obsessive behaviour, including getting up early to go out walking and playing music in the house extremely loudly, prosecutor Roger Stephenson said.

Mr Stephenson said Markham was a man of previous good character and his partner of 20 years, Elizabeth Gill, had never suffered any form of domestic violence.

Last Christmas Eve she returned from shopping to their home in Brontë Villas, Haworth, to hear loud music. The doors were locked and she could not gain entry.

When she got in later her partner was not there and did not return until 1.45am on Christmas Day.

Mr Stephenson said the defendant kicked open the bedroom door. He was carrying a three-foot-long drumstick.

He pulled back the bed covers, raised the stick to head height and struck her a number of times on the legs. The force of the blows caused the stick to snap. Markham left the house after the attack.

Markham surrendered to police on December 29 and gave an account of the breakdown of his relationship and failure of his business and spoke of his obsession with skiing.

He said he had suffered injuries to his leg, which caused him substantial pain. He admitted being furious at the time of the offence and was not proud of what he had done.

Markham, now of Barley Cote Grove, Riddlesden, pleaded guilty before Bingley Magistrates last month to assault causing actual bodily harm and was sent to the crown court for sentencing.

Sarah Barlow, in mitigation, said there had been no contact between the pair since Christmas Day and Markham had taken some very positive steps.

The judge, Recorder Peter Babb, said he would be assisted by a psychiatric report. He said: “You don’t need me to tell you how serious this incident was. One of the sentences I have to consider is immediate custody.”

The case was adjourned and Markham granted conditional bail.