A WOMAN woke in terror to find her estranged husband had broken into her home while she slept and attacked her.

Craig Roberts twice punched the mother-of-three in the face before her screams alerted two of her sleeping children.

Roberts continued the attack at the house in Middlesbrough despite the youngsters' presence, a court heard today (Friday).

In a statement, the victim revealed: "I'm absolutely petrified of Craig and do think that he could actually kill me.

"I desperately need the police and the courts to help me and to keep him away from me."

Roberts, 39, of Roscoe Street, Middlesbrough, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm in the early hours of October 1.

He was given a 15-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and an electronic tag nighttime curfew until June.

Judge Peter Bowers, sitting at Teesside Crown Court, also ordered him to go on a Building Better Relationships course.

The judge imposed a restraining order preventing Roberts going near the woman, and told him: "A breach means prison."

In her statement, she said: "He has already been to court once and he still broke into my home and assaulted me.

"My children should not have had to witness what they did that night . . . It really is disgraceful."

One of the boys rang police while the other refused Roberts' demands to leave the bedroom and stayed with his mother.

She was screaming and begging to be left alone as her ex nipped her legs and kept her pinned to the bed, the court heard.

Richard Herrmann, mitigating, said alcoholic Roberts had sobered up in prison on remand and wanted to stay booze-free.

Judge Bowers said he was lucky not to be facing more serious charges, but that his three months behind bars was enough.