A JEALOUS man held a knife to his terrified girlfriend’s throat after pinning her down and later strangled her during a catalogue of domestic abuse.

Louie Wainwright, 24, from Newport would accuse his partner of cheating on him and hurl abuse at her, slap her and spit on her.

His victim feared she was going to die but came to Cardiff Crown Court to support him during his sentencing hearing.

Timothy Evans, prosecuting, said Wainwright began to abuse the woman not long after they had moved in together in September 2021.

The victim was left “shocked and confused” after the defendant had slapped her while they were play fighting.

She described him as “a very angry person” who would shout at her and call her insulting names like “b****”.

Wainwright attacked his girlfriend last November after accusing her of being unfaithful to him and demanding she hand over her mobile phone.

Mr Evans said: “He told her, ‘I know you are texting a boy. You need to leave. I know you are cheating on me.’

“The defendant then used his legs to pin her down and held a knife against the front of her throat.

“She genuinely believed she was going to die – she was petrified.”

Describing another attack, Mr Evans said: “He was strangling her. Her vision was going blurry.

“The defendant’s hands were wrapped around her neck.

“It lasted, as far as she could tell, for around a minute.

“She said, ‘I thought, I am going to die here.’

“The victim was crying hysterically.”           

Wainwright, of Monnow Way, Bettws, pleaded guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour, strangulation, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and threatening a person with a bladed article.

He has no previous convictions.

Stephen Thomas, mitigating, told the court his client’s partner had written a letter in support of the defendant.

“He’s had mental health difficulties but takes full responsibility for what he has done,” his barrister said.

“There’s no suggestion that he was sadistic. It was a lack of self-control.

“Thankfully the injuries were relatively minor but he recognises how frightening his behaviour was.

“He wants to apologise to her and her family. He says: ‘I’m really sorry.’

“The defendant has deep-seated difficulties, clearly.”

The judge, Recorder Barry Clarke, told Wainwright he was “jealous and possessive”.

He added: “Your victim was in fear of her life.”

The defendant was jailed for three years.