A violent drunken thug who punched his partner after she went to hide in the toilet then strangled her has been jailed.
Daniel Jenkins had been given a warning shot about his behaviour just weeks before after claims he had been violent to his girlfriend. But after downing 12 pints at her home, he again turned aggressive.
Sensing what was to come, she went to hide in the bathroom but he followed her before launching a prolonged attack. A judge at Newcastle Crown Court told him restricting her breathing with his hands around her neck was "extremely serious" and rejected pleas for his prison sentence to be suspended.
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The court heard Jenkins had been in a relationship with the woman for around a year. In May and June this year he began to be violent towards her, on one occasion putting his hands around her neck and strangling her for a short time. Charges were not pursued as she didn't want to make a formal allegation but police imposed a domestic violence protection order.
However on June 3 they decided to rekindle their relationship and she picked him up from a pub and they went back to her home. Once there, he drank to excess, consuming 12 pints of lager and cider and became aggressive.
The woman asked him to keep the noise down so as not to disturb her sleeping neighbours. Fearing what was to come, she went to seek refuge in the bathroom but he followed her.
The court heard she tried to record his behaviour on her phone but he stopped her, grabbing her and the device, punching her on the toilet, causing damage to a wall and vase as he kicked off before punching her again then strangling her, restricting her breathing.
The victim, who suffered a burst nose and swelling and bruising, said she had to take time off work and hid her injuries from family and friends because she was embarrassed and ashamed of how she looked.
Jenkins, 38, of Goodwood Road, Sunderland, who has convictions for drink driving but nothing for violence, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, intentional strangulation and criminal damage and was jailed for 12 months and given a five-year restraining order.
Recorder Nathan Adams, referring to the strangulation, said: "That makes it even more serious. It's extremely dangerous and has a significant impact on any victim who's subjected to it. It was a prolonged and serious assault."
Jamie Adams, defending, said there were references showing a different side to Jenkins and illustrating that he is a "good worker". He added: "He is completely sorry about what he did and is utterly ashamed of his behaviour.
"This has been a real wake up call for him. He has had a chronic problem with alcohol from when he was very young."
