A vicious thug who headbutted his partner and strangled her only stopped his assault when his trousers fell down and she grabbed his exposed genitals.
Kyle Jones, 47, turned up unannounced at the home of Janice Thomas in Aberfan, near Merthyr Tydfil, on October 21, and pushed his way in before brutally headbutting her to the face.
The assault left Ms Thomas in a state of shock and she could feel blood running from her nose. When she attempted to crawl to the living room to get her phone Jones punched her to the right side of her face causing her to fall to the floor again.
He then stumbled but managed to grab the victim from behind, put his arm around her neck, and covered her mouth with his left hand. The defendant then took her to the floor as Ms Thomas struggled for breath.
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A sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Friday heard the victim, who had been in a relationship with Jones for 10 months but had split up with him two months before, thought he was going to "strangle her to death" and shouted: "Kyle get off me. I can't breathe".
Prosecutor Peter Donnison said Ms Thomas' pleas were ignored by the defendant who kept her in a chokehold and applied pressure to her left eye as she was "kicking and screaming".
The barrister added: "Ms Thomas managed to get the defendant off her neck and noticed his trousers had fallen below his waist. She grabbed hold of his testicles and pulled them which allowed her to end the incident, get out of the house, and run away."
Ms Thomas ran to a neighbour's house as Jones appeared to walk in the opposite direction but he later returned and waited outside the house. The police were called and the defendant was subsequently arrested.
Jones, of Pennydarren Road, Merthyr Tydfil, later pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The court also heard he had a number of previous convictions which included an assault on his stepmother in 2013.
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Defence barrister Rosamund Rutter said the end of her client's relationship with the victim had been a "great source of pain and upset" but he accepted he was the cause of that and had entered guilty pleas at the earliest opportunity.
She also said Jones was extremely drunk at the time of the assault and had "very little recollection" of the incident.
Sentencing, Recorder Greg Bull QC said: "This was a serious case of domestic violence, it was prolonged and involved strangulation. She thought she might die as she was unable to breathe. She told you that but that didn't deter you in your attack."
Jones was sentenced to two years imprisonment.
If you or someone you know is affected by domestic abuse visit the Live Fear Free website or call the helpline on 0808 80 10 800.
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