A MAN who throttled his girlfriend in the street, having already been convicted of headbutting her and stubbing out a cigarette in her face, has been jailed for a year.

Martin Clark, 21, breached a restraining order when he attacked Samantha Shaw after they had argued in Union Street, Middlesbrough, in the early hours of July 20, Teesside Crown Court was told.

Jo Kidd, prosecuting, said Clark placed his hands around Ms Shaw’s neck and choked her. He then bit her on the face and on the top of her forehead, breaking the skin and drawing blood.

Ms Kidd said that Clark, of Wicklow Street, Middlesbrough, had already been sentenced to five months in a young offenders’ institution for previous attacks on Ms Shaw, on September 27 and October 16 last year.

In the first assault he stubbed out a cigarette in her face and, in the second, Ms Shaw was headbutted and kicked in the face.

Robert Mochrie, mitigating for Clark, who admitted assault causing actual bodily harm and the breach of the order, said Ms Shaw had agreed to resume their relationship following his release from prison, although they were now no longer together.

He said unemployed Clark was hoping to find work and move forward with his life.

Judge George Moorhouse said Clark’s offending was extremely serious and could only be marked with a jail sentence.

He jailed the defendant for 12 months, minus the 90 days he had already spent in custody, and imposed a new three-year restraining order regarding any contact with Ms Shaw.