A JEALOUS boyfriend attacked his former partner after she discovered a tracking device he'd hidden in the lining of her handbag, a court heard.

John Westwood, of Mude Gardens in Mudeford, became furious after discovering his ex Hazel Burnett had started seeing a man she met on dating app Tinder.

The victim claimed Westwood, a security expert, then planted a small surveillance device in her handbag to track her movements.

When she found it, she confronted Westwood, who denied putting it in her bag. However, he owned such devices through his business, the court heard.

Days later when Westwood was moving his belongings out of their home in Southbourne he tried to take the tracker with him.

Ms Burnett, 40, feared he would throw the 'evidence' out of the window and took the device from a shelf.

Westwood grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her against a bedroom window. The victim suffered bruises and other minor injuries to her shoulder and upper arm.

The incident came to an end when the victim's 18-year-old son leapt onto Westwood's back, grabbing him in a headlock.

Police were called and Westwood was arrested for assault.

Westwood, 57, appeared at Poole Magistrates' Court this week for trial. He was convicted of assaulting Ms Burnett by beating her, as well as harassing her new partner John Major by following the taxi driver in his car and turning up at his ex-wife's house.

Magistrates heard Westwood had been in a relationship with Ms Burnett for 12 years. However, the couple split up in May.

She then began a brief relationship with Mr Major after meeting him online.

Ms Burnett found the covert device inside the seam of her handbag in August. The court heard the fabric of the bag had been cut and the device placed under the lining.

Nicola Peach, prosecuting, said: "The crown says these are the actions of a jealous man."

Westwood denied placing the tracker in her handbag. He said: "The device she claimed was in her bag was basically a box measuring two inches round.

"That particular model also has be recharged every 12 hours.

"There are trackers that are much smaller and only need to be charged every five years, so why would I use the one she claims?"

He admitted putting his hands on Ms Burnett but claimed he was "just trying to calm her down".

Westwood claimed his former partner had suffered her injuries as a result of her son jumping on his back, causing all three of them to fall in a heap.

Mike Flynn, defending, said: "He was just trying to diffuse the situation and calm her down.

"There was no way an assault took place."

The defendant will be sentenced next month.