A Torquay man has been jailed for strangling and punching his ex during a row at her home. Andrew Coomber “got a look in his eyes” just before he put his hands around the woman’s throat, a court heard.
He subjected her to a prolonged assault with left her with a black eye and bruising. The violence left the victim “absolutely devastated”.
Coomber, aged 37, of Walnut Road, admitted intentional strangulation, ABH and possessing cannabis when he appeared at Exeter Crown Court. The judge sentenced him to 16 months.
The incident happened on December 9. The pair had been arguing over texts before Coomber attended the address in Hele Road where the row became violent.
Judge James Adkin said: “You took hold of her by the throat and strangled her, restricting her breathing. You dragged her into the living room and the assault continued. You hit her in the face twice causing her a black eye.”
The assault also involved Coomber throwing the woman to the floor twice and grabbing her leg. She told him she could not breathe and managed to scramble to the toilet where she realised she was bleeding.
After threatening to call the police Coomber left with the woman’s phone. He was arrested the next day and told police he had given her “a tap” and pushed her. He said she hurt her head when he pushed her against a wall.
Martin Salloway, defending, said Coomber has undiagnosed mental health problems and was appalled by his actions.
Judge Adkin said the law took domestic strangulation offences seriously: “The evidence is those who strangle often go on to kill,” he said.
He said probation had assessed the defendant as a posing a medium risk of causing serious harm to partners. “You have temper control issues,” he told Coomber. He had to consider whether the public interest was best served by a suspended sentence but concluded: “For a sustained domestic abuse incident involving strangulation this can only be achieved through immediate custody.”