A woman who thought the relationship with her ex-partner was on the mend went round to his flat in the early hours of Christmas day and found another woman there, a court was told.

Hyndburn magistrates heard that what happened next was a mystery to all concerned, but Nicola Sayers woke up on the living room floor bruised and battered.

And her ex-partner, Stephen John O'Callaghan, accepted responsibility for her injuries, even though he couldn't remember what happened.

O'Callaghan, 25, of Rimmington Close, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to assaulting Nicola Sayers and was jailed for 100 days.

Philippa White, prosecuting, said the couple had been in an on- off relationship for five years. A few weeks before the incident she decided to give the relationship another go.

"Things seemed to be going well and they were getting on," said Mrs White.

On Christmas Eve Miss Sayers went out with her mother and her partner and during the evening accepted she had drunk a lot of vodka.

There was an exchange of text messages with O'Callaghan and he asked her to go to his house.

2She has a vague memory of them having an argument and shouting at each other," said Mrs White.

"The next thing she remembers is waking up on the living room floor with him standing over her.

"She looked in the mirror and saw she had a black eye and bruising to her face and her hands."

Gareth Price, defending, said it was an unusual case in that nobody knew how Miss Sayers came to be injured.