A man who attacked a young mother and tied a dressing gown cord around her neck has had an appeal against his sentence dismissed by top judges.

Steven Turnbull, 27, of Acomb Road, York, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and making threats to kill at York Crown court on April 3 this year, and was jailed for three years nine months.

London's Court of Appeal heard how Turnbull attacked the mother of three in November last year. Lord Justice Rix, sitting with Judge David Maddison, said he placed a dressing gown cord around the woman's throat and pulled it so tight she almost lost consciousness.

"She thought she was dying, and thought Turnbull was trying to kill her. He punched her to the face and to the ear. The cord was still around her neck and he kept pulling it tight.

At one stage, Turnbull produced a knife and threatened to kill her.

Dismissing the appeal, Lord Justice Rix said: "We see no reason why, in a contested trial, a maximum sentence of five years could not have been handed down.

"In the light of the aggravation of the threats to kill and the prolonged nature of the abuse she suffered, we think the sentence was merited and can in no way be regarded as manifestly excessive."