A COUNCILLOR has vowed to resign from the Labour Party after being found guilty of punching and head-butting his teenage girlfriend.

Kyle-Noel Taylor had been charged with four counts of assault by beating 18-year-old Rebecca Jackson earlier this year.

And following a trial, the 19-year-old, who denied the charges, was yesterday convicted of attacking her on January 6, January 22, January 25 and March 24.

North Staffordshire Magistrates' Court had been told one of the attacks took place just hours after he returned home from a Newcastle Borough Council meeting.

Taylor, who remains a Kidsgrove town and Newcastle borough councillor, had been suspended from the Labour Party pending the outcome.

Speaking after the case, Taylor said he would be resigning from the Labour Party with "immediate effect". "I will also be appealing against this decision," he added.

Magistrates had been told he first met Miss Jackson at school and the pair began going out when they turned 16. Miss Jackson described it as an "on and off relationship".

During the trial she told the court: "I'm terrified of the boy. I loved him and he meant the world to me, but he hurt me."

She said that on January 22, Taylor attacked her at his home in Victoria Avenue, Kidsgrove. In another incident, Miss Jackson heard Taylor mumbling an ex-lover's name in his sleep. She got out of bed and found pictures on his computer of the pair together.

She said: "He attacked me and said I shouldn't be going through his stuff."

Two months later, Miss Jackson heard Taylor talking about Facebook in his sleep. She checked his Facebook page and then discovered messages to another ex-girlfriend.

Miss Jackson alleged Taylor turned on her when she confronted him, leaving her with bruises to her ear, finger, neck and face.

Paul Moore, prosecuting, told the court that Taylor had used "dirty innuendo" as part of his defence suggesting that the bruises were caused by her parents attacking her.

Robin Lichfield, defending Taylor, said Miss Jackson had lied about some events and it was accepted she had lied.

"Kyle Taylor is a person of good character with no convictions. Rebecca Jackson has told lies. She was jealous about what she had seen on his iPad," he said.

However, Fred Holland, chairman of the bench, said while Miss Jackson did lie, she did so to protect Taylor.

"She lied about certain issues but we are satisfied that the lies do not affect the truth or accuracy of the assaults."

Taylor was granted conditional bail and the case adjourned until December 1.

A conviction for assault does not disqualify Taylor from serving as a councillor but if he is sentenced to six months or more in prison, he will automatically lose his seat.

A council spokesman said: "He's going to be sentenced on December 1 and until then he remains a councillor."