BOULDER, Colo. (AP) -- A man who acknowledged beating his girlfriend with a hammer says he wants to withdraw his plea.

The Longmont Times-Call tells us Gilbert "Freddie" Vasquez appeared in District Court in Boulder for sentencing Friday. He pleaded guilty in August to domestic-violence related first-degree assault and faced between 12 and 20 years in prison followed by parole.

But Vasquez said Friday he always wanted the case to go to trial and argued his public defender coerced him into striking a plea deal with prosecutors.

Vasquez is accused of punching his girlfriend and striking her with the handle of a hammer after an argument at a Longmont home in January.

District Judge Roxanne Bailin appointed an alternative defense counsel and set a status conference for Nov. 7. A sentencing hearing is tentatively rescheduled for Nov. 27.