A thug from Wrexham who punched and strangled his Good Samaritan girlfriend in a suspicious rage has been jailed for 15 months.

Harry Thomas lost his temper and accused Sarah Oldfield of being unfaithful although she had only been with her neighbour helping him out with a problem in his flat for a matter of minutes.

When she returned to her apartment Thomas punched her repeatedly and then strangled her so hard she lost consciousness.

Jailing Thomas and placing him under an indefinite restraining order, Judge Niclas Parry said: “You are a bully and a control freak. This was a sustained attack involving repeated punches and when your victim was on the floor she was strangled to brief unconsciousness.

“It is your third offence of domestic violence. Mercifully the injuries are not as serious as they could have been.”

Prosecuting barrister Ffion Tomos told Mold Crown Court that Ms Oldfield, who had started a relationship with Thomas at the beginning of the year, went downstairs to help the neighbour who had texted her earlier saying there was a leak in his flat.

She was there for no more than two minutes, said the barrister, but Thomas still lost his temper and grabbed his victim pulling her onto the kitchen floor.

He accused her of “sleeping with her neighbour” and Ms Tomos said: “He punched her five times to the left eye with a clenched fist. She tried to protect herself but the defendant punched her again to the ear.

“He placed his hands around her neck and started strangling her. He was shouting that he wanted to kill her.”

Ms Oldfield fought the defendant off and later when he asked her for an aspirin she gave him temazepam instead, leaving him in a deep sleep.

By the time he awoke the next day she had brought her father around and after Thomas tried to make his escape through the lounge window the police were called.

Ms Oldfield sustained numerous injuries in the attack, including a badly bruised eye, a bruised ear and multiple scratches to her neck and face.

In a victim impact statement read to the court she said she now feared going out and had resorted to staying with a friend.

Thomas, 27, of Hampden Road, Wrexham pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm on March 10 this year.

The court heard he had eight convictions, including those for domestic violence.

His barrister Owen Edwards said: “He has got a problem with his temper and behaviour towards partners, as well as with drink and drugs. He would like to resolve them. He has apologised to the complainant – it was a brief relationship and he did have feelings for her.”