Abuser told victim he would "put her to sleep" as he strangled her

A man who told his girlfriend he was going to “put her to sleep” while strangling her, has been jailed. 

Samuel Thomas, 36, of Crest Drive, Fenstanton, shook and slapped her until she came round, only to repeat the horrifying process again, on 3 November last year.

The shocking abuse came to light five days later after officers were alerted to a woman being assaulted at Thomas’ home.

They arrived at the scene to find Thomas, who was very calm in his demeanour, and the victim, being supported by a neighbour.

Thomas denied there had been “arguments” and claimed the victim had been in a row with another man, elsewhere.

However, after taking her to one side, officers saw injuries to the victim’s face, which included a handprint.

The victim burst into tears and told how during an argument earlier that day, Thomas slammed her head against a wall about four times.

He also strangled her until she lost consciousness, like he had done on 3 November, leaving bruising on her neck.

Thomas had also threatened to bite her nose off and tried to gouge her eyeball out during the terrifying ordeal.

When she tried to leave, he refused to let her take their 12-week-old baby, and she fled to a neighbour’s house until the police arrived.

Thomas was arrested at the scene, and he later pleaded guilty to two counts of intentional strangulation and actual bodily harm (ABH) in court.

On Wednesday (7 August), at Cambridge Crown Court, Thomas was sentenced to two years and three months in prison and handed a five-year restraining order.

DC Ewa Byrne, who investigated, said: “The victim went through a terrible ordeal at the hands of Thomas. She has shown immense bravery in coming forward.

“Thomas is a danger to women, and he is now facing the consequences of his sickening abuse. I hope he reflects on what he has done during his time in prison.

“Tackling domestic abuse is a force priority and I hope the outcome of this case encourages other victims of abuse to come forward.”

For more on domestic abuse, including how to make disclosures through Clare’s Law, please visit the dedicated pages on the force website.