A mum failed to protect her children from her "Jekyll and Hyde" boyfriend after she put her relationship before her young family.

Nursery school staff alerted social services after finding bruises on a four-year-old boy.

His mother, 24, from Colchester was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm but denied causing the injuries.

She claimed she had seen her boyfriend hitting the boy with a toy stethoscope, a court heard.

The woman - who cannot be named for legal reasons - told police her partner was "short-tempered" with her children and had a "Jekyll and Hyde" personality.

He had also denied causing the bruises. Town magistrates heard the man was never charged over the incident last July.

The boy's mother admitted neglect after failing to protect her son.

Paul Baker, mitigating, said there was no suggestion she had been violent towards her children.

"She is a good mother. She loves her children," he said.

"The difficulty was her lack of strength in dealing with this extremely manipulative man."

Mr Baker said she didn't report what happened because she was scared of her partner and of what social services would do.

The children are staying with relatives, and their mother has a court order against her ex-partner, who no longer lives with her.

The mum sobbed as she was given a six-week suspended jail sentence and ordered to do 180 hours unpaid work.

Magistrates told her: "You put your relationship before the well-being of your children."