Man bashed and stalked ex-partner

AN ASPIRING soldier beat up and then stalked an ex-partner he was obsessed with, a court has heard.

- JASON EVANS Reporter [e-mail]

Saman Ismail went on to launch a brutal attack on a man he believed had a connection with his former girlfriend, a late-night beating born of “jealousy and rage”.

Ismail’s barrister told Swansea Crown Court his client had fled Syria and come to a “place of safety” in the UK, and that the defendant had hoped “to join His Majesty's armed forces”.

The court heard that the relationship between the complainant and Ismail ended in July 2024, though they stayed in touch, and that on August 5 of that year she helped him by taking him to his driving test.

Later that day, the defendant took the woman’s phone and, after seeing messages on it, subjected her to “abusive language” before launching a physical assault which saw him shoving her to the floor, repeatedly slapping her, headbutting her, and grabbing her by her hair. He then threw a glass of water over her.