A SHY Ipswich warehouseman has today been jailed for five years for slashing a prostitute's throat and sexually attacking her.Christopher Ridyard, 43, astounded his family and friends when they discovered he had viciously attacked a 30-year-old woman along a secluded Ipswich footpath.

A SHY Ipswich warehouseman has today been jailed for five years for slashing a prostitute's throat and sexually attacking her.

Christopher Ridyard, 43, astounded his family and friends when they discovered he had viciously attacked a 30-year-old woman along a secluded Ipswich footpath.

The defendant who was described as "polite and shy" paid the woman £20 to have sex with her after she approached him as he walked in the Portman Road area on November 8 last year.

Ridyard, of Motram Close, had demanded that she have sex with him without a condom and became violent when she refused.

Steven Dyble, prosecuting at Ipswich Crown Court said: "The defendant slashed her across the throat with a craft knife, she saw the blood and started screaming. A violent struggle ensued between them with the defendant repeatedly thrusting the knife towards her.

"He said get on all fours I'm going to have sex with you without a condom, she was shaking and crying."

The court heard that Ridyard tried to have sex with her but failed to complete the act. The half naked woman, who suffered a 10 centimetre long, two millimetre deep neck wound "ran for her life" towards Alderman Road screaming for help to a passer by.

A doctor said the wound was dangerously close to the woman's jugular vein.

Police arrested Ridyard, who was drunk, almost instantly.

Despite conclusive DNA evidence Ridyard initially denied the attack stating that the prostitute had abused him and must have fallen on his knife.

He said he had had an argument with his boss the previous day and had gone for a walk because he could not sleep.

But today, just a week before he was due to stand trial, Ridyard pleaded guilty to wounding the woman with intent to cause her grievous bodily harm and to indecently assaulting her at 1am that night.

Ridyard's brother-in-law John Snell, of Kent, told the court: "He is very shy and keeps himself to himself. He would rather walk away from an argument than have one. This is completely out of character."

The court heard that Ridyard was a warehouseman of previous good character who had practically always lived with his parents and recently cared for his ailing mother.

He was described as having an alcohol problem and had used prostitutes in the past.

Stephen Harvey, mitigating, said Ridyard, who had drunk seven cans of beer that night, could not remember what had happened that evening.

Judge John Devaux said Ridyard had been described as "placid and non-confrontational" but the offences were so serious that only a long sentence could be justified.

He described the woman as a vulnerable person whose profession did not excuse Ridyard's offending in any way.

Ridyard was ordered to sign the sex offenders' register and told to inform the police of any change of his name and address indefinitely. He was also told he could never work with children.

Ridyard, who had short brown hair, glasses, was clean-shaven and wore beige trousers and a brown leather bomber jacket, sat emotionless in the dock throughout the hearing.