A man ripped out a clump of his on-off partner's hair and choked her during a violent attack that left her fearing for her life.
John Clemenson "punched and kicked" the woman while she was on the floor over the night of November 12, 2021, going into early hours of November 13, in Bishop Auckland.
The woman was staying at the address of a "disabled man" at the time of the "unprovoked" attack.
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And after the assault, he returned to the man's home where he caused damage to his belongings.
Clemenson, 38, appeared at Durham Crown Court on Monday, via video link from HMP Durham, to be sentenced for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage.
Chris Baker, prosecuting, said Clemenson punched the woman in the head and "grabbed her by the throat".
He also kicked her while she was on the floor.
Some of the woman's hair had also been "pulled from the front of her head" during the attack, which left her with "blood dripping from her nose and mouth".
The police were called and Clemenson left the scene, but he returned to the address later that night.
By this point, the woman had been taken to a "place of safety", but Clemenson again "lost control" and began kicking the downstairs doors.
The disabled man who lived at the address described Clemenson as "intoxicated".
Police soon arrested Clemenson while he was still at the address.
In a victim statement, the woman said the attack was "unprovoked and out of the blue" and that she thought she would be killed.
She added that she has been "on edge" ever since.
Paul Newcombe, defending, said Clemenson was "ashamed" and said he "struggled with drugs".
He said that prior to the incident, Clemenson had been attacked in a pub and has "no memory" of committing the offence as a result.
Judge James Adkin, the Recorder of Durham, said it was a "persistent assault" and that Clemenson had a "bad criminal record".
He was also on licence for a weapons offence at the time.
The judge added that it was "a little unclear" as to why Clemenson carried out the attack.
Clemenson, of no fixed address, was jailed for 32 months and was given two restraining orders.
