A violent man who tried to choke his former partner has been jailed for 22 months.

During the incident at supported housing in Northgate Street, Bury St Edmunds, Fred Armitage grabbed the woman’s hair and pulled her off her bed before trying to strangle her, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

During the incident, the woman thought she was going to die and managed to break free by kicking and scratching him.

She tried to run to the door of her flat but Armitage had pulled her back and punched her eight times in the face before she managed to call the police.

The court heard that the victim told police she had found Armitage in her room and noticed an open window and moss on the floor.

Armitage, 38, of no fixed address, admitted assaulting his former partner causing her actual bodily harm in February.

Sentencing him, Judge Emma Peters said he had used all his weight when he tried to strangle her and she had thought she was fighting for her life.

The court heard that Armitage had 179 previous convictions.

Lynne Shirley, for Armitage, said his client and the victim both had their own issues and he knew they needed to separate.

She said Armitage no longer used drugs.