An abusive and jealous man who slapped and strangled his ex-partner over claims she was cheating has been jailed. 

Karl Stanley Wood, an alcoholic with a violent past, twice grabbed his former girlfriend by the throat in a sequence of attacks that took place while he was already under investigation by police.

A witness statement read out to Winchester Crown Court on Monday, October 24 told of how the 48-year-old had left her 'full of anxiety' and frightened to leave her flat following their 'short-lived' relationship.

Wood, who appeared in the dock wearing a grey tracksuit, was sentenced to 26 months behind bars. 

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The court heard that on July 3, Wood, of Campion Drive, Bishop's Waltham, turned up at the victim's home having been released from custody just the previous day for allegedly assaulting her.

After spending some time in her room drinking an argument broke out between the pair after he had accused her of sleeping with another man. 

She tried to escape to the garden where he followed her and grabbed her by the throat. The police were called and he was arrested and later bailed.

A few days later on July 10, Wood, who had been "drinking heavily", once again gained access to her flat where he "grabbed and smacked her across the chin".

He left and continued to message her, returning the next morning when he launched a third attack - strangling her for the second time and bruising her arms by pinning her to the bed.

She managed to escape and call the police by telling him she was going to buy tobacco. When officers arrived they found Wood hiding in the wardrobe.

In her statement, she said she "couldn't believe" Wood was released by police and described a "lack of faith" in the justice system.

She said she "felt scared to say no to him", and that he would often ring her and tell her he was on his way, even when he was on bail.

The court was told Wood had a history of similar offending which included strangling and punching a former partner between 2014 and 2016. 

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Mitigating, Emma Hayfield said he had "expressed sincere remorse and regret for his behaviour". She added that he had been struggling with alcoholism at the time and had sought to "work on himself" during his 14-week stint in custody.

However, sentencing, Judge Susan Evans KC said: "The effect of what you have done is that she (the victim) no longer feels safe in her own home. She has suffered from anxiety and her mental health has declined."

She described Wood as a jealous individual with "a lack of emotional control and propensity for using violence", often by way of strangulation.

Judge Evans said while credit was given for his guilty pleas, Wood's crimes were aggravated by his previous record of offending and the fact he was on bail at the time. 

Alongside the jail term, an indefinite restraining order was put in place. The relevant surcharge was further applied.