Woman strangled and threatened with knives by partner

Ryan Latham, 30, had been at his partner's Great Yarmouth home when he found a message on her Apple watch he thought related to another man.

Norwich Crown Court heard the victim, who has two children with the defendant, was asleep with a baby's cot in her room when Latham got on top of her and "held her throat with both hands".

John Morgans, prosecuting, said the victim was unable to breathe as Latham strangled her.

He said: "She was doing everything she could to get him off her."

Mr Morgans said the victim "lost a nail" in trying to get him off of her.

He said Latham then "lifted her up by the throat resulting in the bed breaking".

She was punched in the head by Latham who demanded to know who the message was from.

The victim was led down the stairs by Latham who punched her in the head as he did so still wanting to know who had messaged her.

Latham put her against a cupboard in the living room and told her to stay there before coming back with a knife which he held in her face before stabbing it into the cupboard above her head.

Mr Morgans the victim said she "felt she was going to die" and knew she had to get out.

The victim tried to escape after telling the defendant she needed a drink.

She ran out of the side door of the conservatory but Latham got out of another door and caught hold of her.

He got her back into the conservatory and "threw the water over her".

Latham then came back with two kitchen knives and again started interrogating her over who the message was from.

As he did so, he "waved the knives around" with one of them catching her on the wrist, causing a small cut.

The victim knew she had to leave and managed to run "out to the neighbours banging on the door".

Latham came out behind her and "tried to grab her" but the neighbour was able to get the victim inside before calling police.

A number of doors in her property were found to be damaged "with holes" in them while the watch was also taken.

He said she felt like the "luckiest woman alive" after managing to get to the safety of her neighbour's property.

The victim was "beaten black and blue" and received a number of injuries, including bumps, bruises and cuts.

Latham, from Halesworth, appeared at court on Tuesday (January 25) for sentence having admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm, destroying property and theft on July 29 2021.

Sentencing Latham to two years imprisonment Judge Katharine Moore said his partner was left "terrified" during the prolonged attack.

Judge Katharine Moore (Image: copyright: Archant 2014)

Judge Moore, who noted how the victim had to "flee" with a baby in the home, said it was a "gross abuse of power and control".

Michael Clare, mitigating, said although he initially entered not guilty pleas he made a great deal of effort to resolve the matter and should receive credit for that.

He said he recognised he was a "different person" when under the influence of drink and drugs but added when "drug free and sober" wants to be a father to his children.

Latham was made the subject of a restraining order prohibiting him from seeing the victim, directly or indirectly, apart from arranging childcare via a third party, for four years.