A woman thought she was going to die when her partner was strangling her and put a knife to her throat in a Boxing Day outburst.

Carl McMahon, 34, put his hands around her neck twice within four days, with the final occasion seeing the woman pack her bags and leave.

Paul Cummings, prosecuting at Preston Crown Court said that the pair had been in a relationship for about six months.

During that time, McMahon would hit her, punch her and kick her but she said, ‘she thought she could handle it’.

They started arguing more and, in December, she decided she needed to leave and went to her grandfather's home for Christmas.

She came back the next day and although everything was fine to begin with, McMahon suddenly turned after a few drinks.

Mr Cummings said: “As she was leaving the bathroom, he grabbed her by the hair, trying to throw her into the bedroom.

“As he did that, she banged her head against the door frame. She thinks she passed out for a while, or at least that is what he told her.

“She awoke on the floor and he picked her up by the hair and threw her on the bed.

“He put her hands around her throat. She could feel something sharp against her neck, she realised it was a knife.”

He let go and she rolled off the bed, crawling across the floor coughing and spluttering.

The woman described how she felt during the strangulation on December 26, saying that he was squeezing her throat hard and she did not know how long it lasted but she ‘thought she was going to die’.

After this, she said things again seemed fine until December 29 when he appeared to be paranoid.

The woman was watching a show on her laptop and when she got up, it is believed that McMahon used the device and replied to a message from a man.

When she came back into the bedroom she tried to get her computer from the floor.

He stood on top of her chest and put all his weight on her before hitting her in the face.

He then grabbed her by the throat and started squeezing, stopping her from breathing.

She said it seemed as if it lasted 10 minutes. When he let go and left the room, she packed a bag and managed to leave.

Mitigating, Kimberly Obrusik said that McMahon knew he would be facing a custodial sentence for his actions.

He wrote a letter to the judge before his sentencing and pleaded guilty at an early hearing.

Ms Obrusik also said that McMahon suffered with his mental health and was struggling at the time.

The Honorary Recorder of Preston, Judge Robert Altham said that McMahon, who pleaded guilty to strangulation and suffocation, was a ‘dangerous man’.

Judge Altham said: “This defendant is a dangerous man.

“He is of significant risk of causing serious harm with those he is in a relationship with and those he believes are in relationships with partners.”

McMahon, of Exchange Street, Oswaldtwistle, was jailed for three years and four months. He is also subject to a five-year restraining order against the woman.