A 32-year-old Laventille man who admitted to beating his ex-wife in a fit of rage was yesterday fined $1,600 by a Port of Spain magistrate.

Kyle Phillips yesterday appeared before Magistrate Cheron Raphael in the Port of Spain Third Magistrate's Court charged with assault by beating.

On July 28, Phillips went to the Pashley Street, Laventille home of his ex-wife Sherry Ann Greene and started to "bang down" the front door, the court heard yesterday.

Greene opened the door to speak to Phillips and he began to choke her, then cuffed and kicked her.

Phillips left and Greene reported the incident to the Besson Street Police Station. A warrant was issued for Phillips' arrest.

On July 31, Phillips surrendered to Constable Lambert at the Besson Street Police Station.

"Boss she really get me vex and I really loss it," Phillips told Lambert, the court heard yesterday.

Phillips was charged with assault by beating. He first appeared in court on August 2 but was denied bail and was sent to prison.

After four nights in prison Phillips returned to court yesterday. He was represented by attorney Richard Clarke-Wills.

Clarke-Wills said his client pleaded guilty to the charge but that the facts read in the court were not the entire story about what happened.

Phillips and Greene were together for over 13 years before they broke up a few months ago, Clarke-Wills said. The couple have four children together.

On July 28 one of the children called Phillips and told him Greene was "under a street light inside a car with a man outside the house".

Phillips became "increasingly frustrated" because he had been denied access to the children by Greene earlier that day, Clarke-Wills said.

Phillips, who does not have a "history of violence", went to his ex-wife's Laventille home with the intention of confronting her, Clarke-Wills said.

In a fit of rage Phillips attacked Greene.

Medical reports showed Greene sustained injuries to her head, eye and lower abdomen as a result of the attack.

Raphael said she took into account the time Phillips had already served in jail for a "summary offence".

Phillips was ordered to pay a fine of $100 and $1,500 in compensation to Greene for the injuries she sustained. He was given a deadline of three months to pay.

If Phillips does not pay the fine in the stipulated time frame he will serve six weeks simple imprisonment, Raphael said.