A MAN left his vulnerable now ex-partner living in fear of him after three sustained attacks in four months.

Christopher Martin Wood almost choked the woman with her own dressing gown cord, threw a wine bottle into her face and repeatedly struck her head off the pavement, during the spate of violence as the on/off relationship petered to an end in the last few months of last year.

Durham Crown Court was told the woman was fearful of Wood and chose not to report the first two incidents, but after the final attack, in which she believed he was going to kill her, in the early hours of New Years’ Day, police were informed.

The court heard the incidents, in September, October and January 1, were all committed while Wood was subject to a suspended prison sentence imposed in July, last year, for earlier assaults on his partner and one of her friends, in October 2017.

He was also on bail following his arrest after a dangerous ten-mile police chase, from Newcastle to Stanley, of a car he was driving while suspected of being under the influence of alcohol in the early hours of July 22.

During the high-speed pursuit Wood travelled at up to 90-mph, as well as flouting three sets of red lights and undertaking on a pelican crossing, ignored no entry signs and zig-zagged either side of white lines.

The chase came to a close when he abandoned the Peugeot in Kinross Drive, Stanley, and was detained after a short foot chase.

Wood, 32, of Wear Road, Stanley, admitted three counts of assault causing actual bodily harm, dangerous driving, refusing to provide a specimen and no insurance.

Richard Herrmann, mitigating, said the time on remand since arrest after the New Year’s Day attack, has been his first taste of custody.

Mr Herrmann said the recent convictions followed a near ten-year offence-free period and came after Wood himself was an attack victim, suffering untreated post traumatic stress disorder.

Imposing a prison sentence of 55 months, Judge Christopher Prince said Wood’s domestic assaults have had, “a profound adverse effect”, on his victim, who appeared to have been genuinely fearful of him.

Judge Prince put in place a restraining order, forbidding Wood from trying to contact or approach the woman, “until further order”, and banned him from driving for 51-months, while also confiscating the Peugeot car used in the chase.