A WOMAN broke down in tears yesterday as she told a court her rugby player ex-boyfriend smashed her face in a window and attacked her with a golf club.

Janine Bond was giving evidence against her former partner Gregg Watkins at a domestic violence trial at Cardiff Crown Court.

Watkins, 25, of Orchid Court, Cwmbran, denies 11 counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and a further charge of unlawful wounding against her.

But Watkins, who told the court he had played rugby for Wales at youth level, claimed his ex-girlfriend of almost seven years was lying and had gone to the police in revenge after he left her.

While giving evidence he alleged Ms Bond had been the aggressor, saying she had slashed his knee with a Stanley knife and poured acid on him as he slept on the sofa to try to remove tattoos bought for him by an ex-girlfriend. He accepted seven stone Ms Bond had suffered injuries but said they had all been accidental, once for example due to slipping in the bath and once after slipping on ice while getting out of a car. Bruising on her noticed by a doctor probably came from their boisterous Weimaraner puppy, Watkins claimed.

Molly Greer, Watkins’ brother Craig’s girlfriend, said Ms Bond was “lying” and she had never known violence between them.

In one alleged incident, Watkins grabbed Ms Bond by the hair on a sofa, “swung her around “and kicked her, the court heard.

In another supposed attack, Ms Bond could hear her bones after he hit her down to the floor and stamped on her, the court was told.

And on another occasion part of her tongue was left “hanging off” after he allegedly grabbed her by the neck and crushed her face, a jury heard. Proceeding.