THE FAMILY of a mum-of-two who was threatened by her former boyfriend at knifepoint have spoken of their fury after he escaped a jail sentence.

Vikki Ireland used herself as a shield to protect her baby as her former partner of seven years unleashed an attack in "mad rage" and punched her as she lay on the floor of her own home.

Southampton Crown Court heard how Thomas Doncom was then discovered by police topless, covered in his own blood after he stormed into the mother of his children's home after a night of drinking to see in the new year.

Doncom was yesterday handed a suspended sentence for the assault, which left Vikki terrified and convinced he was going to kill her.

Doncom, 27, of Osborne Road South, Southampton, pleaded guilty to common assault, affray and two counts of criminal damage after he kicked down the door of his former home and began the savage assault.

Vikki's family said they were disgusted by the result and fear Vikki and her children won't feel safe again.

Stepdad Philip Payne said: “He has put my daughter through hell, she will never be the same and neither will my poor grandson who is terrified and screams through the night.

"He is scarred."

On New Year’s Day, Vikki, 24, woke at around 6.15am to hear banging on her front door and hid under the duvet with her then 16-month-old son, who had slept next to her that night.

Doncom kicked the door down and ran into the flat in Bitterne Road East where he started shouting at Vikki, accusing her of seeing another man, and began punching her in the face as she reached for her son and curled up in a foetal position around him.

The mother-of-two said in a statement: “I couldn’t believe what he was doing he had gone mad with rage I was so frightened.

"I thought he was going to kill me and my child.”

The court heard how after beating his ex partner, Doncom went to the kitchen to get a knife and came back saying he was going to kill her, shouting: “It’s your time.”

He then shouted he would give her five seconds to get away so Vikki picked up her son and ran out of the flat to hide and call the police.

The couple also have a five-year-old daughter, who was staying with a relative on the morning of the attack.

They had broken up almost two months prior and the court heard that Doncom, who has no previous convictions, had never attacked Vikki before.

The court heard a harrowing nine-minute 999 emergency call made by Vikki as she cried down the phone and begged for help as screams and shouts from Doncom could be heard in the background, threatening to kill her.

Vikki hid at a neighbour’s house and while they waited for police to arrive they could hear banging and crashing coming from the flat as Doncom smashed it up.

CCTV footage shown to the court also showed Doncom pacing outside of the flat before running down into a car park where he used a for sale signpost to hit a car.

The court heard how when police arrested him he was found on the ground “fitting” with no shoes or socks, no top and covered in blood from a self inflicted injury on his hand and officers suspected severe abuse of alcohol or drugs.

Inspectors found the flat covered in blood stains, with kitchen knives thrown across the room and a broken wine bottle and bloody handprints across the walls and windows.

Doncom, whose family sat in the court, has been given a four-month jail sentence suspended for 12 months, a 25-day rehabilitation order and 100 hours unpaid work, as well as paying £400 costs.

He was sentenced to four months for affray, two months for common assault and one month each for the criminal damage charges to run concurrently.

A charge of making threats to kill, which Doncom denied, will lie on file.

Mr Payne, 43, said: “Vikki has tried so hard to pick her life up. She is an incredible mum and she did everything possible to keep them from harm, but everyday she lives in fear and it’s an outrage that he is walking free from prison.

“It’s totally unfair and disgusting, I don’t think any of us will feel safe knowing he is free.

"I think this just shows why women don't come forward when they're beaten, because they don't get the justice they deserve and it's terrifying.”