A man who grabbed his then partner by the throat and threw a plate at her has been sentenced to probation.

Adam Lee Hine, of Derby Square, Douglas, was found guilty by magistrates of common assault after a trial.

A probation report assessed Hine as a medium risk of reoffending and of harm to others.

High Bailiff Jayne Hughes referred to a section of the report that said that there still seemed to be an element of Hine blaming the woman for his outburst.

She told Hine: ’This was an extremely unpleasant incident of domestic violence. The victim should have felt safe in her home. You need to control your anger.

’If you breach this order you will be going to prison, there is no question about it.’

She also said she was amazed by Hine’s comments to probation, when he said: ’She knows I would never hit a woman. The worst I’ve done is give her a dead arm.’

Prosecutor James Robinson told the court that Hine’s then partner had reported the assault to police on January 29.

She said that Hine, aged 21, had pushed her backwards then gripped her windpipe with one hand while putting the other on the back of her neck.

She kneed him in the stomach to escape his grasp but Hine then threw a dinner plate at her which hit her on the backside, as well as coins.

She left the house but Hine was said to have followed her outside, shouting at her.

The woman walked to her workplace where her employer called the police.

By the time officers attended the couple’s home, Hine had left but he later attended police headquarters for a voluntary interview.

He gave ’no comment’ responses but said that he had anger management issues which he was seeking help for.

Advocate Ian Kermode said that the couple were in a relationship for 18 months, four months of which they had been residing together at Hine’s flat.

Mr Kermode said: ’On the day, they were having tea. It was a verbal argument that escalated into a physical confrontation. We would make the point that there was no injury caused.

’Mr Hine was not intoxicated at the time of the offence and clearly there was no pre-meditation. It was a spontaneous loss of temper.’

Hine was unemployed and had been in and out of work since leaving school five years ago.

Mr Kermode said: ’He is looking for employment in the hospitality sector and is helping out on a voluntary basis with a charity event.

’He has been with his new partner for three or four months and she has described him as "very caring and sweet".’

Hine was put on probation for 12 months and must attend courses covering domestic abuse and anger management.

He was also ordered to pay £300 compensation to the woman and £1,215 prosecution costs.