A man dragged his fiancee along a gravel path ‘like a rag doll’ during an attack seen by horrified witnesses.

Grant Clark, 35, pulled his now ex-partner out of his car after an argument at a quarry near Bosley and dragged her along the driveway, Macclesfield Magistrates court heard.

She got back in the car but Clark, who works as a doorman in Macclesfield, dragged her back out onto the ground.

The court heard the victim has been ‘anxious and panicky’ since.

Prosecuting, Debbie Byrne, said three shocked drivers pulled over after seeing the attack, two saying the victim was ‘dragged like a rag doll’ and screaming.

Mrs Byrne said: “On April 9 the defendant let himself into his ex partner’s home and took pages of her diary and phone when he left. She rang the phone and asked to meet up so he could give it back.

“They met near a quarry in Macclesfield and while there the defendant dragged her out of his car by her arm. She got back in and he dragged her out again. One witness approached the woman to ask if she was okay and she told her to call the police. The defendant had [the victim’s] phone in his pocket and the witness asked him to give it back. The woman got out of the car and hugged the witness.”

A statement from the complainant read in court said since the incident she feels anxious, isolated and vulnerable and fears for her safety.

Clark, of Park Street, Congleton, pleaded guilty to assault. At interview he said he had found a letter at his partner’s home which suggested she may harm herself so he left the house to search for her, taking her phone because he thought she would call it. He said they had an argument at the quarry and he wanted her to get out of the car so used a special lift he learned as a doorman to remove her.

Defending, Tony Birchall, said: “This is his first offence for violence. There is no injury and he was doing what he did because of a letter he found on pieces of paper, not from her diary, which he felt showed she was going to hurt herself. He wanted to keep her phone to get her home to discuss the issues.”

Magistrates gave Clark a 12-month community order with 150 hours unpaid work, £85 costs and £60 victim surcharge.

The chairman of the bench said: “This lady has had a degree of distress and this is ongoing so we hope there will be no revisiting of this.”