A thug grabbed his girlfriend by the throat before pummelling her with his fists and what she thought was a knuckleduster – in front of her young son.

‘Abusive’ Grant Middleton went on a rampage after ‘amply injecting steroids’.

Southampton Crown Court heard Middleton, 51, carried out a series of ‘incredibly painful’ and unprovoked attacks on his former partner.

He ‘exploded’ after the victim’s son had an accident on the toilet – with Middleton telling the victim the child ‘needs to be in a zoo’.

Prosecuting, Simon Foster said the victim noticed Middleton was on edge prior to the incident.

He said: “She told the defendant she wanted him to leave her home, to which he smashed her mobile phone beyond repair.

“Middleton threatened to kill her and her two children if she called the police.

“He grabbed her hair and dragged her through the property before grabbing her throat and restricting her breathing.

“She feared she was going to be killed.”

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Mr Foster went on to tell the court how Middleton pinned the victim down on her child’s bed and punched her in the head. 

The victim believed he then used a knuckleduster, Mr Foster told the court.

The woman suffered scratching and bruising to her body and swelling to the side of her head.

Middleton of Warburton Road, Southampton, pleaded guilty to one count of common assault, one count of causing actual bodily harm, and one count of intentional strangulation.

He also pleaded guilty to one count of damaging property.

Mitigating, Ed Wylde said the defendant is ashamed to be before the court again.

He said: “In his words, he cannot describe the shame he feels for his actions.

“He is ashamed and embarrassed and accepts he needs to learn skills to stop his impulsivity.

“He knows that he needs to be better and wishes to engage with support.”

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Passing sentence, Judge Peter Henry described the attack as ‘a very unpleasant and prolonged assault’.

He said: “You were assaulting a vulnerable person and you had her in a position of extreme pain.

“It is said you are apologetic and embarrassed, and I hope that is right.”

Middleton was handed a custodial sentence of one year and nine months, and a 10-year restraining order.