Vicious yob jailed after laughing at ex-partner as he repeatedly strangled her

After a night on the vodka Daniel Stokes banged on the door shouting "let me in you fat sl**" and "I'm going to belt you" in the early hours of the morning. 

He then threw the contents of her rubbish bin across the garden. The 32-year-old from Walsall then passed out in the garden and when woken at 7am by his former partner of seven years cleaning up the rubbish he was lying amongst unleashed a vicious attack which left her fearing for her life.

He strangled her with such force she was on the verge of passing out and burst blood vessels in her face before throwing her against the radiator giving her chance to ring the police. He then put her in a headlock and strangled her again only releasing her after she bit her tormentor.

Throughout Stokes, of Abbots Close, Walsall,  mocked his victim telling her "get ready to take your last breath" and he "would belt her even harder when the police arrived".

After strangling her twice Stokes punched her in the head twice, slapped her and then kicked her on the ground before she scrambled out of the house and found safe refuge at a neighbours house.

Stokes left the address before the police arrived. However, he handed himself as a wanted man and in his interview with detectives blamed his victim for the incident. 

Remanded in custody. he first pleaded not guilty to strangulation and assault by actual bodily harm at his first court hearing. However, Stokes changed his plea to guilty before his trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court began. His criminal record includes 23 convictions for 19 offences, many for assault and at least two against the same victim, who he has five children with. 

In mitigation, the court heard Stokes "realised this was a turning point in his life" acknowledging the damage he had caused. He also struggled with mental health challenges and Class A drug addiction.

Recorder Simon Hughes sentenced Stokes to 24 months imprisonment. This was a terrifying assault for your victim. She suffered cuts and bruises inside her nose, a swollen throat, burst blood vessels, and injuries to her neck, back and legs. 

"This was an attack of an extreme violence. There multiple instances of strangulation and were several opportunities you could have stopped but you carried on. 

"I cannot ignore you seemed to take pleasure in the assault and the control you exercised over your victim, because of this I have uplifted your sentence."