Jamie Oates (19), of 97 Turbus Road, had been warned he faced a possible custodial sentence after he admitted common assault on Amy O'Leary on June 3.

He had also admitted being subject to a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months from July 27 last year, and being in breach of a 12-month conditional discharge from July 30 last year. But after an impassioned plea from his grandfather and a public show of support from his family at Lynn Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, the justices instead imposed a 12-month community order and a total of 250 hours unpaid work.

Fifty of those hours were added to the defendant's suspended sentence for breaching it, but no action was taken on the conditional discharge breach. He was also ordered to pay £100 compensation to Miss O'Leary.

Gary Starling, prosecuting, said Oates went to Miss O'Leary's home on June 3 to visit the two children from their relationship, but an argument erupted over where he wanted to take them.

She told him to leave but he became aggressive, grabbed hold of her face and headbutted her, causing her mouth to bleed, while she was holding their seven-month-old baby, the court heard.

Mr Starling said Miss O'Leary was left concerned for her and her children's safety after the incident.

In mitigation, solicitor Andrew Spence said the argument broke out because the defendant proposed to take the children to his new partner's home nearby and Miss O'Leary was deeply unhappy about that.

He headbutted her, causing injury, then pushed her onto a sofa and was ashamed of these actions. "He very much regrets losing his temper and it's out of character," Mr Spence said.

Oates had completed 100 hours unpaid work under his suspended sentence order. With probation service help, he had also completed Think First and education programmes, had been attending a course for people preparing to go back into work and had volunteered to work in the Sue Ryder charity shop, he said.

"He recognises that getting back into regular employment will be key to him turning his life around," the solicitor added.

Oates' grandfather, Roy Ashford, said his grandson was full of remorse for what happened and "petrified" of prison. He desperately wanted to continue seeing his children and the family was prepared to help him seek access through the legal channels.

Presiding magistrate Mrs Sophie Archer said she and her colleagues had been "very impressed" by the family support for Oates.