A woman had to hide her head in a settee after being punched in the eye by her husband.
Richard Jagger and the victim got into an argument about social media after drinking in the morning. The row resulted in the 34-year-old punching her in the face four or five times.
Newcastle Crown Court, sitting at Moot Hall, heard how the victim was left with a fracture to the left eye socket following the incident at her home in Bedlington, Northumberland.
Michael Bunch, prosecuting, told the court how Jagger had began drinking at 7.30am on March 5 and his wife joined him at around 10.30am. He said the couple began arguing about people who had liked posts on her Facebook.
Mr Bunch said: "The defendant began to look through her phone without her permission. That developed into a position where the defendant became angry. He said he was going to leave the address."
The court in Newcastle heard how the woman became annoyed at him and slapped him on the arm and chest four or five times.
Mr Bunch said he responded to that by pushing her away, before getting up from where he was sitting, and punching her to the face, connecting with her left eye four or five times.
He said: "She was forced to hide her head in the settee to bring the attack to an end."
The court heard how a neighbour became aware of what had happened and the matter was reported to the police. The prosecutor said: "When she later received medical treatment it was found she had a fracture to the left eye socket."
Jagger was arrested following the incident. In police interview, he made no comment other than to say he had been punched by his wife. Jagger, of no fixed abode, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The court heard how he had also breached a suspended sentence.
Mark Styles, defending, told the court how things went wrong for Jagger when he lost two family members and social services became involved with the family,
He said: "He was asked to leave the family home and from that point his situations rapidly became worse. He was drinking too much, he acknowledges that. He was struggling to find regular accommodation.
"It was something that really came to a head very, very quickly after a petty argument about social media. Really it's aggravated by drink."
Recorder Simon Goldberg KC told Jagger that the offence was committed while he was already on a suspended prison sentence in respect of a similar assault on the same victim.
He sentenced Jagger, who appeared via video link to Durham prison, to 17 months behind bars.
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