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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Mark Naylor & Kelly-Ann Mills

Woman jumps out window to escape drunk man who began strangling her when she refused sex

A terrified woman fled through a window after her heavy-drinking boyfriend flipped her out of bed, pinned her face-down on the floor and strangled her in a headlock, leaving her unable to breathe.

Jonas Ilgunas later described himself as 10 out of 10 on a scale of drunkenness during the "appalling attack" that left her with a black eye and fearing for her life, Hull Crown Court heard.

Ilgunas, 34, from Hull admitted strangulation of his girlfriend and assaulting her on February 16.

Hannah Turner, prosecuting, said that the couple had been in a relationship for about six years and had a three-year-old son together.

They spent the evening with friends at their home and were "having a laugh" and "joking" and everything had been all right between them.

At about midnight, the woman went to bed in a back bedroom, with her son in the same room. On at least two occasions, Ilgunas got into bed with her and tried to initiate sex but she refused.

The case was heard at Hull Crown Court (MEN Media)

He became angry and started shouting and swearing at her, calling her a s**t. The boy woke up and she told Ilgunas to go to bed in the front bedroom. He did so but took her mobile phone and the boy out of the room with him.

Ilgunas returned to the woman and continued a "tirade of shouting and swearing" before he flipped the mattress of the bed that she was lying on and left the room, Hull Live reports..

She put the mattress back and tried to open a bedroom window in a bid to flee.

"She knew something bad was going to happen and she wanted to get away from him," said Miss Turner.

"He saw her attempting to escape and pulled her back and closed the window."

There was a scuffle and the woman tried to leave the bedroom but he would not let her go. The boy stood in the doorway of the bedroom crying and very scared.

"The defendant spun the victim round and threw her to the floor and laid her face down on the floor," Miss Turner added. He put his knee on her back and his right arm around her neck in a headlock.

Ilgunas was jailed for 14 months (HullLive/MEN Media)

"He applied pressure to her neck," said Miss Turner.

"The victim was not able to breathe and could not move."

She was in this position for about 30 seconds until he left go. The woman tried to leave through the front door but the key was not there and she was forced to climb through a large window into the garden and run round to a friend's house nearby where she telephoned the police.

The woman suffered a black eye and bruising and swelling to the back of her arms. Police arrived at 2.03am.

She later said that she had been left very scared and the boy was terrified.

"My son deserves to grow up in a home where there is no violence," she said.

Ilgunas had convictions for seven previous offences, mainly for motoring matters, including drink-driving.

Jazmine Lee, mitigating, said that it was the first conviction for Ilgunas of violence and it was "significantly underpinned" by alcohol abuse.

"He doesn't really remember the incident," said Miss Lee. "It has been a stark wake-up call and he has not drunk alcohol since and doesn't plan to do so again in the future.

"He wishes to put that behaviour behind him. He accepts now that the relationship is over. His three-year-old son witnessed this awful incident."

Ilgunas is from Lithuania and had been working as a joiner and a team leader.

Judge John Thackray KC told Ilgunas: "This was an appalling attack upon your former partner. She was entitled to feel safe and secure in her home and in your company and you abused that trust.

"You launched an appalling attack upon her, throwing her out of bed and assaulting her to the extent that she could not breathe. She must have been terrified and, at one point, your child was present.

"It's clear that you do have a problem with alcohol. Only appropriate punishment can be achieved by way of an immediate custodial sentence."

Ilgunas was jailed for 14 months and was given a five-year restraining order.

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