A MAN who pinned his ex-girlfriend to the bed and choked her – just weeks after he was released from prison for the same offence – has been jailed yet again.

Keiran Claffey, of Cecil Road in Boscombe, sneaked into his former partner's flat in Southampton before launching an attack on her. He strangled her until she "saw stars", a court heard.

The attack happened just a fortnight after he had been released from prison for a similar incident.

During a sentencing hearing at Southampton Crown Court, prosecutor Andrew Houston said the most recent attack had “chilling echoes” of the previous assault.

The court heard how the 25-year-old was jailed for five months after pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm to his former partner in December last year.

During that attack, he put his hands round her neck as well as punched and kicked his victim.

Mr Houston said that while Claffey was in HMP Guys Marsh in Dorset he was caught using a mobile phone to text his victim – which he was banned from doing via a restraining order.

He was released on March 21.

But on April 8, Claffey visited his victim’s home and let himself in.

The defendant attempted to look through his ex-girlfriend’s mobile phone before attacking her, pinning her arms to the bed and wrapping his hands around her throat.

In mitigation, Khalid Missouri said Claffey had faced a difficult upbringing.

He said Claffey’s visit to his ex-partner was sparked by “frustration” at not being able to see his son – whose mother is the victim.

Claffey admitted having a mobile phone in prison, breaching a restraining order and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

He was jailed for a total of 25 months.