A MAN who electrocuted, stabbed and strangled his partner during an attack that left her cheekbone, jaw, eyesocket and skull fractured, has been jailed for five years.

Winston Dodds, 32, cut Jacqueline Bell with a serrated blade, electrocuted her with wires from an alarm clock and dragged her downstairs by her ankles during the attack at her home in Ryhope, Sunderland, on August 10, last year.

A judge yesterday branded the assault "horrific" and told Dodds: "She must have thought she was going to die."

Newcastle Crown Court heard how the couple, whose two-year relationship was "turbulent, with separations and reconciliations", had spent the day together before he snapped during a row.

Dodds, of Torquay Road, Sunderland, admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent during an earlier hearing.

Judge Beatrice Bolton jailed him for five years.

Defence barrister Jamie Adams said Dodds had been drinking heavily on the day of the attack and he had a history of mental health problems.