A man who punched his girlfriend in the head and strangled her has been given a chance to avoid going to prison.

Matthew Lee George Brice carried out the attack on his now former partner in her Poole home before assaulting a neighbour who tried to come to the woman’s aid.

Brice, of Magnolia Road, Southampton, was found guilty of intentional strangulation and two counts of assault by beating following a trial at Poole Magistrates’ Court.

At a Bournemouth Crown Court hearing on Friday, July 21, Judge Robert Pawson deferred sentencing the 33-year-old defendant for six months.

Judge Pawson said Brice’s barrister Olivia McGonigle had persuaded him to take this course “against the run of play”.

It was “all well and good” the defendant saying he was willing to engage with support services, the judge said but “the proof of the pudding will be in the eating”.

Judge Pawson told Brice: “If in six months time you return here and you have saved a significant four figure sum – several thousands – and you have not reoffended and you have set up counselling and provide evidence of this I will take the exceptional course of suspending the sentence.”

The judge added: “If you have not done those things I will send you to prison.”

Prosecuting, Stuart Ellacott said the defendant, his partner and two of her neighbours went to the local Conservative club on evening of Saturday, December 17.

While there an argument occurred, which stemmed from text contact between Brice and an ex-partner of his and caused “friction”, Mr Ellacott said.

At around closing time the couple went back to her address while the neighbours went to their home.

Mr Ellacott said there was talk in relation to food and getting a takeaway.

The woman suggested they cook instead and there was another argument.

The court heard she went to her bedroom and was there for around 15 minutes before the defendant came in and “called her a useless **** and told her she never cared about him”.

Brice punched her to the head, back and chest area.

“She describes it as punches raining down on her with both hands,” Mr Ellacott said.

The woman bit his finger to get him to stop but he grabbed her hair with both hands and pulled her towards him.

He then grabbed her round the neck with his left hand and she felt it “squeeze around her throat”.

She was able to make a call to the neighbours and shouted over the phone: “Matt is trying to kill me.”

Brice put his right hand on her neck and pushed her to the ground.

There was a knock at the front door. The defendant went to answer it and the complainant went into the hallway.

She was described as “hyperventilating” and “struggling to breathe”.

The complainant asked her partner to leave and police were called.

When the front door slammed with Brice leaving the address, one of the neighbours locked the door, however, the offender returned via a rear patio door, saying he wanted to collect his belongings.

Mr Ellacott said the defendant gave a kicking motion towards the woman and she bit him in the leg.

Brice turned his attention to the male neighbour, who after a verbal altercation tried to walk away before he was hit in the back of the head three times.

In a victim personal statement, the woman said following the attack she found if difficult being alone, she carried a rape alarm at all times and she did not like being around males she did not know.

Since the incident she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, the court heard.

Mitigating, Ms McGonigle said the defendant had received “very little support” in his life for his learning difficulties and disorders, which included ADHD and emotional personality disorder traits.

She said the Probation Service had identified options which could help address his offending behaviour.

The defendant had secured employment with Southampton City Council working on the bins and he was due to start three days after the hearing.

Brice had suffered significant mental health difficulties, with his family expressing concern about how he would cope in prison, Ms McGonigle said.

She said her client was “sorry for what he has done” and he wanted to get help.

Judge Pawson deferred sentencing the defendant to January 12 next year. The judge also imposed a five-year restraining order.