A son saved his mother during a violent attack by her ex-partner.

Jamie Howard, 46, called his victim on April 4 demanding to know where she was, breaching an existing restraining order.

She returned home at about 8pm to find Howard drunk, standing outside her Wisbech flat.

He immediately confronted her, swearing at her before demanding to collect some of his things.

He followed her into the living-room, shouting abuse and without warning, punched her hard in the face, causing her nose to bleed as she sat on the sofa.

Howard continued to hurl abuse at the victim as she phoned her son, who arrived at the flat within minutes.

He arrived to find the living room covered in smashed glass and his mother's blood.

He set out to find Howard, who had armed himself with a flick-knife and was hiding under a bed, where he managed to dis-arm Howard and forced him out of the flat, to the street outside.

Officers arrived and arrested Howard, who later pleaded guilty to charges of harassment, assault and breaching a restraining order.

Howard, of Osborne Road, Wisbech, was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment on Friday at Peterborough Crown Court.

Det Con Marc Bates said: "This has a terrifying ordeal for the victim, who was forced to endure a tirade of abuse in her own home.

"I would like to applaud the bravery of the victim for coming forward to report the attack and also her son, who may well have prevented a much more serious offence with his swift response."