Former Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan has spoken out for the first time after pleading guilty to assaulting his partner, Vikki Ager, leading to his departure from the band this year.

Meighan parted ways with the Leicester group in July in order to “concentrate all his energies on getting his life back on track”, before appearing at Leicester Magistrates Court to face a charge of assault against his long-term partner Vikki Ager.

The musician pleaded guilty and was subsequently sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work, and the couple relocated to Cornwall following the incident.

Ager hit her head on a hamster cage after being thrown across a room by the singer, who had also threatened to hit her with a wooden pallet.

In an interview with CornwallLive, Ager and Meighan deemed the incident a “one-off” and a “drunken squabble” – with the singer apologising once again for his behaviour.

“We had too much to drink,” said Meighan. “I regret everything that happened that night – what I can remember of it. I don’t condone it – it’s horrific. I love my partner to pieces.”

“I was at a boiling point in my life – I didn’t know where things were heading," he added. "I was drowning myself with drink because of my problems and things going on around me. We had a fight and I took the brunt for it. I was fully responsible for what happened but we love each other and we’re getting over it.”

The singer commented that the incident must have been “heartbreaking” for his Kasabian bandmates, but says he is now focusing his time on recording a solo album.

He is now being represented by Coalition Music Alliance, ahead of the record’s scheduled release.

“I can’t say if the band will ever get back together again,” Meighan added. “It’s raw – it’s like a wounded animal, it’s infected but the infection’s dying out now. I spent my life with them...and it must be heartbreaking for them as well to have seen me like that.”

It was also reported two months ago that Meighan had been removed from the companies that handle Kasabian’s live shows and merchandise sales, meaning that he won’t receive a share of the future profits.

After Kasabian initially announced that Meighan would be stepping down as frontman “by mutual consent”, the band then issued a second statement in which they elaborated on Meighan’s exit after the court case had closed.

“There is absolutely no way we can condone his assault conviction,” they wrote, and were therefore “left with no choice but to ask Tom to leave the band”.

The Coalition Music Alliance team wrote that Tom is "currently working hard to address recent events and is working towards a fresh start with the support of us, his family and partner."

"We believe in a positive future for Tom and we are by his side every step of the way."