A ROW over a broken PlayStation controller led to a woman being forced to seek refuge in her bathroom after her partner threatened her with a knife.

Dean Russell flew into a rage when he was unable to play on his console and began to accuse his partner’s younger brother of damaging it.

The 28-year-old grabbed the woman by the throat as she attempted to escape the house they shared before throwing her to the floor and putting his foot on the neck, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Jon Harley, prosecuting, said a routine telephone call from domestic violence charity Harbour enabled the victim to escape Russell’s grasp and hide in the bathroom on September 30 last year.

He said: "She remonstrated with him and this caused the defendant to fly into a rage, he grabbed her arm causing bruising to he arm. He then kicked an internal door in the house and started to swear at the victim.

"She tried to get out of the house by the back door but he pushed her back inside. She tried again and this time he grabbed her by the throat and dragged her back into the house and pushed her to the floor and put his foot on her throat – it didn't cause her to black out.

"She hit him between the legs and he released his hold on her."

Mr Harley said it was the timely intervention of the telephone call which enabled the victim to break free and seek sanctuary in the bathroom.

He added: "He (Russell) grabbed a kitchen knife and ran at the bathroom door and shouted something like 'watch this' – she thought she was going to be stabbed and shut the door."

Mr Harley said two days earlier the defendant threatened his partner with a knife after they argued about his need for drugs.

The court heard how the woman refused to provide a victim impact statement and wanted to get back with her partner once he was released from custody.

Russell, of Eighth Street, Blackhall Colliery, near Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and assault by beating.

Andrew Turton, in mitigation, said his client knows he needs help to address his anger issues but said his partner was keen to rekindle their relationship.

He said: "He was very candid in his probation report and accepts the sentence that he will inevitably get.

"These are serious offences aggravated by the use of a knife.

"He realises that he is someone with a problem and needs help but hasn't been able to get that help. He recognises that he struggles to control his temper."

Judge Howard Crowson jailed Russell for a total of 18 months for all three offences.

He said: "You have a history of violence and your record suggests much of it directed towards partners and this is just the latest of these."