A SCORNED girlfriend ripped up her partner's shirts and drove their car into a neighbour's wall in a bid to stop him leaving the house.

Leah Cortes, 33, used scissors to cut up seven of her boyfriend's shirts in a fit of rage after finding out he was taking items from the house.

Magistrates in Trowbridge heard how Cortes got into her car and drove it head-on into a wall when a friend of her former partner arrived at their house in St Mary's Lane, Dilton Marsh.

Bowyers employee Cortes, who admitted two charges of criminal damage, lost her temper when electrical items were taken out of the house and loaded into a waiting car, the court heard.

Rhys Davies, prosecuting, said the relationship had broken down after six years and the couple were in the process of moving out when the incident happened on November 11.

He said: "The relationship had been a volatile one. Miss Cortes's boyfriend said he had been the subject of physical abuse from the defendant.

"When he got home on that day he found her upstairs with seven damaged shirts.

"In a police interview Miss Cortes said she thought she was going to lose everything. She also admitted cutting up the shirts with the intention of damaging them before driving the car into a neighbour's wall."

Muriel Wrench, defending, said Cortes was provoked into damaging the shirts and driving the car into a wall, because she wanted to stop her former boyfriend from taking all their belongings.

"She flipped, got into her car and behaved in the most reckless fashion. She freely admits that. There was no physical abuse as my client is tiny and her co-habitee was well over 6ft tall."

Mrs Wrench said Cortes had been effectively left homeless and penniless by strict court-imposed bail conditions and had been unable to return to her home throughout the case.

Damage to the wall was estimated at £400 with the shirts, which were all from Hong Kong, estimated at £200.

Magistrates ordered Cortes to pay compensation of £450 and costs of £55.