Ex-Royal Marine assaulted his ex-girlfriend as they argued who would get custody of their PLAYSTATION
Christian Horton, 33, hurled Samantha Boyd into a pile of crates and boxes as she packed up to leave him
A FORMER Royal Marine commando assaulted his ex-lover as they fought a childish tug-of-war over a PlayStation, a court heard.
Keep fit fanatic Christian Horton, 33, picked up Samantha Boyd and hurled her into a pile of crates and boxes on a bed as she packed up to leave him.
The feuding pair grappled over who would get custody of the games console and an iPad when their year-long romance ended.
A pal who witnessed the row said Samantha, 26, had her "hands over her ears like a child".
She is now pregnant with his child and wants to rekindle their romance, a court heard.
Before the trial she withdrew her complaint against her ex — admitting they both behaved "as badly as each other" — but JPs in Manchester convicted him of common assault.
Horton, who served with 42 Commando from 2004 to 2007 and is now a personal trainer, told the court: "We both let our emotions get to us and we shouldn't have.
"Samantha was coming back and forwards and didn't get a reaction so she started throwing clothes at me.
"I then got up and started throwing her stuff into the corridor. Then she jumped on my back and wouldn't get off so I said: 'What are you going to hit me?'.
"I had hold of the PlayStation and she came from behind me and jumped onto my back trying to grab the PlayStation.
"I saw her tablet and held it in the air saying, 'It isn't very nice having your stuff taken is it?'."
The court heard the couple split in January after hotel worker Samantha, who has an eight-year-old son, lost her job and Horton called her lazy.
She took two friends, Ben and Natalie Nugent, to collect her stuff from Horton's flat in Bowdon, Greater Manchester.
Mrs Nugent said: "Samantha was upset, shaking and hysterical - she was all over the place.
"Christian got back to the house ten minutes after we arrived. He was quiet to begin with and went and sat on the sofa next to my husband whilst Samantha was running backwards and forwards trying to collect her things.
"I then saw Christian chucking items that were left out in the corridor and Samantha tried to stop him doing this and that is when things got more heated - he was encouraging her to hit him.
"He was intimidating and angry. She was shocked and very anxious and you could tell she was angry but she was just acting like a teenager she didn't even look like a woman.
"He got closer to her shouting and she had her hands over her ears like a child would. I was stood there with my phone in my hand ready to call the police and then Samantha told me to ring them."
Horton was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £705 in costs and surcharges.
His lawyer Peter Grogan told the hearing: "Samantha has since retracted her statement and said that the pair were both acting as badly as each other.
"She has since found out that she is pregnant with the defendant's child and hopes to rekindle their relationship."
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