Woman thought she 'was going to die'

A WOMAN thought she was going to die after her boyfriend put his hands around her neck and started squeezing so tightly that she could not breathe.

She finally managed to escape by kicking him and later fleeing out of the door, a court heard.

Michael Everritt, 34, of Caistor Road, Barton, admitted assaulting Julie Williams, causing actual bodily harm, on July 5 and damaging two telephones and a fax machine, belonging to her, on June 18.

John Harris, prosecuting, told North Lincolnshire magistrates that Everritt had been drinking when an argument flared and he shouted at Miss Williams in her home.

He slapped her on her arm, grabbed her around the neck with both hands and squeezed tightly.

She kicked him in the stomach before he released his grip and ran to the door to escape, but he slammed it shut.

Everritt hit her in the mouth, causing her to stumble backwards, and grabbed her again.

She fell to the ground and he dragged her along before putting his hands round her neck again, even harder than the first time.

"She could not breathe and genuinely believed she was going to die," said Mr Harris.

Miss Williams managed to kick Everritt in the stomach and he let go.

Sunny Dhinsa, mitigating, said it was an "extremely unpleasant" assault and Everritt had been drinking.

"Alcohol is the root of the problem," said Mr Dhinsa.

Everritt, who had been in custody for three weeks, was jailed for nine months and was given an indefinite restraining order banning him from contacting her or going to her home.

The sentence included four months activated from a six-month suspended sentence imposed on November 22.