A CHARD man who carried out a brutal attack on his partner by strangling her and then trying to smother her with a pillow has been jailed for a total of 20 weeks.

Lee Craig Winfield was already subject to a suspended prison sentence when he attacked the victim twice at her home in Ilminster, both times causing her to black out.

When he realised the police had been called he grabbed a knife and told the terrified victim: “Looks like I am going to have to stab some coppers now.”

However he cooperated with the police when they told him to put the knife down and was then arrested, Somerset Magistrates were told.

Winfield, 37, of Halcombe Estate, Chard, was convicted following a trial held in his absence of assaulting his partner by beating her at Ilminster on May 10 after he initially denied the offence.

He also admitted failing to surrender to bail on August 14 after being arrested by the police and being brought before the court at Yeovil in custody.

The court was also told that Winfield was currently subject to a suspended prison sentence, and he had now breached it for a second time by committing this latest offence.

Prosecutor Emma Lenanton said that the victim had been in a relationship with Winfield for three years and on the evening in question he arrived home late at 9pm and appeared to be under the influence of something.

“She told him to pack his belongings and leave as she was no longer prepared to put up with his issues and another male friend was also there and the defendant started having a go at him,” she said.

“The victim decided to call the police as she was worried things would escalate and was in the bedroom in her dressing gown when Winfield grabbed her around the neck with his arm using a headlock and squeezed her neck so tightly that she passed out.

“When she came round she started screaming and crying and told him to get off her saying she would get rid of the police.

“However he then grabbed a pillow and pushed it onto her face with such force that she passed out again, and when she came round a second time he said sorry.”

The defendant then realized the police had arrived at the address and shouted: “It looks like I will have to go and stab some coppers now” and went to the kitchen and grabbed a knife.

The victim managed to grab Winfield to his groin area and he let go of the knife and the police then entered the property and saw Winfield stood in the hallway holding the weapon.

They issued instructions to him to drop the knife, which he did, and the victim was then taken to hospital by ambulance suffering soreness and bruising to her neck and a cut to the inside of her mouth.

A spokesperson for the Probation Service said that Winfield’s relationship had been deteriorating since the beginning of the year but he had managed to get a job as a welder.

On the day in question he came home and the house had not been cleaned and tidied and an argument ensued as he would often come home and find the house in disarray.

“He decided to pack his belongings and does not agree with the victim’s account, apart from the stranglehold, and says it was in self defence as she was aiming blows at his genitals,” she said.

“He also says he had the knife for self harm and said his partner had her own mental health issues.”

The court heard that Winfield had been introduced to heroin at the age of 22 and had previously got clean following a drug rehabilitation programme but had since relapsed and was now on a methadone script.

Defending solicitor Neil Priest said that Winfield was annoyed with himself that he didn’t attend the trial as he waned to contest the allegations made by his partner.

However he said he had leant his bus pass to a friend who had not returned it, and he had no other means of getting in to Yeovil for the court hearing.

The magistrates told Winfield they had decided to activate eight weeks of the suspended sentence after hearing he had already spent 19 days on remand, and also sentenced him to a further 12 weeks in custody for the latest offence due to the severity of the assault.

They also ordered him to pay £350 compensation to the victim and also made a two year restraining order preventing him from contacting her in any way or from going to her address in Ilminster.