A man throttled his ex-girlfriend with the cord of her dressing gown and threatened to "set her up" with a cigarette lighter.
Craig Roberts subjected his estranged partner to a horrific ordeal in her own flat over the course of nearly a whole day before she finally managed to flee. He also brandished a hammer and dragged her around by her hair after breaking into her home as she slept in the early hours.
Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Friday, that the 31-year-old - of New Hey Road in Woodchurch - had been in an "on and off" romance with Paula Jones for around three years. She described their relationship as "abusive" and said Roberts was "manipulative".
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Christopher Hopkins, prosecuting, described how he began "repeatedly phoning and abusing her" after she ended it. Then, on July 20 last year, he subjected her to an attack which "took place over several hours".
At around 1am, Ms Jones was woken by Roberts attempting to gain entry to her apartment in West Kirby. He was heard shouting that her "clothes were on the floor and he had seen someone jumping out of the window" before forcing his way inside, dragging her around by her hair and punching her to the ribs.
The thug then pushed her down her hallway back into her bedroom and kicked her in the stomach, onto the bed. Roberts picked up a hammer and pressed it to Ms Jones' face, telling her to "shut her f***ing face".
He continued "screaming and shouting" and asked "why she had been ignoring him" before dragging her into the living room after wrapping the cord of her dressing gown - which she was still wearing - around her neck and putting his hand over her mouth "so she could not scream out". The victim described how she felt the ligature "getting tighter", with her assailant then putting her in a headlock and telling her: "If you try to leave I'll f***ing kill you."
Ms Jones managed to break free of his grip, but Roberts then began "sparking a lighter" and saying he was "going to set her up". By 5.30am, she was being forced to stay in bed as he sat on the floor nearby calling her a "slag".
The defendant said he "wished she wouldn't wake up". Roberts then made a cruel reference to her daughter, who had died around five years previously, telling her "not even she would want to be with you" - a remark which caused his family in the public gallery to gasp when it was repeated in court.
At around 9am, he began damaging carpets in the property and destroyed a telephone socket - causing the internet to go down. Ms Jones was able to leave at around 8pm when she was phoned by another ex, telling her attacker "he was coming down" and grabbing her car keys before fleeing to her mum's home.
Roberts has a total of 39 convictions for 56 offences including affray, assault, assaulting an emergency services worker, theft, breaching an anti-social behaviour order, criminal damage, threatening behaviour, drunk and disorderly behaviour and possession of cocaine. He was jailed for 30 months for robbery in 2015 and was before the courts in January 2021 for criminal damage and assault after "forcing his way into his ex-partner's address in similar circumstances".
Anna Duke, defending, said on her client's behalf: "There have been significant issues with alcohol and drugs. There have also been issues with the defendant's mental health - he was having paranoid thoughts.
"He comes from a supportive family. He is displaying now as a completely different person - he is not abusing drugs or alcohol. Perhaps the real work will start when he is released. I ask you to give him light at the end of the tunnel."
Roberts admitted intentional strangulation, assault and criminal damage during an earlier hearing. He was jailed for 27 months and handed a five-year restraining order.
Sentencing, Judge Anil Murray said: "The assault went on for some time. This must have been a terrifying ordeal from her point of view. She thought you were going to kill her. The incident left her traumatised, terrified and afraid to return to her flat.
"There is a plan to help you when released and I hope you use that help, because if you don't you are going to spend longer and longer in prison. You are making good progress, and I hope you keep it up.
"It is said you can be impulsive. But this was not an impulsive offence."
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