A man who put his hands round his girlfriend’s throat and squeezed so tightly that she couldn’t breathe has been jailed for four months.

During the attack Hayley Waters picked up a wine bottle and hit Terry Nicholas on the cheek in a bid to get him off her, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

A woman who walked into the room and saw the attack told Nicolas to get off Miss Waters and the police were called, said Lynne Shirley, prosecuting.

The court heard that on the night in question Miss Waters had gone to a property in Highfield Road, Ipswich where Nicholas had been staying.

The couple spent the evening drinking and had been getting on well but there came a time when Nicholas’s behaviour changed towards her, said Miss Shirley.

The owner of the property went to bed and Miss Waters had been lying on a sofa when Nicholas put his hands round her throat and squeezed so tightly that she couldn’t breathe.

Nicolas had pushed her over the edge of the settee and the owner of the property had walked in to see Nicholas straddling Miss Waters on the floor with his hands round her throat and told him to stop.

Miss Shirley said Miss Waters had marks on her neck following the attack and had been left extremely shaken.

She said Miss Waters didn’t want the court to make a restraining order preventing Nicholas contacting her.

She said the couple had been in telephone contact and Miss Waters had organised for them both to have counselling.

Nicholas, 33, admitted assaulting Miss Waters causing her actual bodily harm and was jailed for four months and ordered to pay an £80 victim surcharge.

Sentencing him Recorder Christopher Makey said that as Nicholas had spent time in custody he would be released straight away.

Juliet Donovan for Nicholas said her client had been in custody for four months.

She described the relationship between Nicholas and Miss Waters as “emotionally fraught” and said her client was keen to have counselling to address his issues.

She said Nicholas had admitted the offence on the basis he had used excessive self-defence after Miss Waters had been violent to him.

However, Miss Shirley said this was not accepted by the prosecution.