Woman 'thought she was going to die' when boyfriend John Wilson strangled her in violent rage

John Wilson's victim feared she would die when he put his hands around her throat and squeezed "very hard" after a shocking night of violence last October.

Newcastle Crown Court heard she was left with reddening, bruising and scratches on her neck, suffers flashbacks and now feels "unsafe".

Prosecutor Michael Bunch told the court the couple had gone to a Halloween party hosted by the victim's sister that evening, which had "gone well".

Mr Bunch said it was late on when Wilson approached the victim in the kitchen and hit her on the back of the head with a hand that was holding a one litre glass bottle.

The victim was left feeling dizzy so left the party to go back to her home in Blyth.

Mr Bunch said when they got back to the house they shared, Wilson started asking where his BB gun was, and threatened to go back to the party and shoot someone.

The court heard while the victim tried to reason with Wilson, he picked up a television and threw it at her, striking her left arm.

Mr Bunch added: "He placed both is hands around her neck, pressed down on her windpipe and squeezed very hard.

"She felt like she couldn't breathe at all, she tried to shout but couldn't get any breath. The defendant continued to choke her for several minutes, or it felt that way to her. She began to feel dizzy, like she couldn't move."

Mr Bunch said the victim was "thinking she was going to die" and when Wilson stopped strangling her, he stamped on her three to four times.

Wilson, 34, of no fixed address, admitted two charges of assault and one of intentional strangulation.

Judge Edward Legard sentenced him to 16 months behind bars for the "cowardly and unprovoked" violence, and made him the subject of a five-year restraining order to protect his victim.

Penny Hall, mitigating, had urged the judge to suspend the sentence and said Wilson has had mental health problems.

She added: "He can't quite believe himself that he acted in the way he did that night.

"He is deeply ashamed, remorseful and has never acted in that way before.”