A Pulrose man has been handed a suspended sentence after a brutal attack on his then girlfriend on Christmas Day.

Shaun Liam McEntee, of Holly Grove, grabbed his partner by the throat and dragged her around by the hair as her horrified children watched on.

One of the youngsters, aged 14, told police she thought McEntee was going to kill her mother and he eventually had to be tasered by police.

McEntee, who is 34, was sentenced to four months custody by magistrates, suspended for 18 months, after admitting common assault.

He was also sentenced to one month for resisting arrest, also suspended for 18 months.

Chair of the magistrates Ken Faragher said while passing sentence: ’In a relationship there is an element of trust and you breached that trust. It is difficult to consider a more serious offence of common assault.’

Prosecutor James Robinson told the court how, on Christmas Day, McEntee and his partner were with friends and family at their home celebrating.

Afterwards, his girlfriend went to bed but McEntee came into the bedroom and started accusing her of having an affair.

He was said to have pulled the woman by the ankles and then pinned her to the bed.

The woman’s 14-year-old daughter came into the room and shouted ’get off my mum’ but McEntee was said to have started shouting aggressively at her as well.

The woman ushered her daughter out of the room and they took refuge in the child’s bedroom but McEntee followed, grabbed the woman by the hair and started swinging her around, pulling some of her hair out.

He then pinned her against a wall and grabbed her around the throat as she tried to shout for help.

One of the woman’s other children, who is six, was watching through an open door.

The door was somehow closed and McEntee continued his attack, swinging the woman around by her hair, causing her head to hit the wall at one point.

She fell on the floor and he got on top of her again grabbing her around the throat. At this point the woman said that she went light-headed, thought she was going to die and said she may have blacked out.

McEntee wedged a television against the bedroom door and when police arrived they had to break in and taser him.

When interviewed the 14-year-old girl, who had called 999, told police her mother had gone red, then purple while McEntree was grabbing her around the throat

She said the family dog had started barking at him but he had kicked the dog multiple times.

When interviewed by police, McEntee claimed he was not at fault saying there had been a verbal argument and his girlfriend had thrown something at him before coming at him wildly. His knuckles were injured and he said that he had punched a wall.

A probation report recommended a suspended sentence.

Defending McEntee in court, advocate Peter Russell said: ’He fully appreciates there was no excuse for his behaviour.

’He now struggles himself to come to terms with what happened that night.

’This was totally out of character, not something that’s happened before, it’s come from nowhere almost.’

He added: ’Perhaps a combination of alcohol and Mr McEntee’s emotions getting the better of him. It’s important I express the devastation he’s felt and shame he feels.

’What had been a normal family day turned into a nightmare.’

Mr Russell said his client’s only previous conviction was 17 years ago, that he had risen to management level in his employment, and that references painted a ’very different picture of a caring, loyal and well-respected man’.

McEntee made the subject of an 18-month Suspended Sentence Supervision Order (SSSO).

He was also ordered to pay £1,000 compensation to his victim and £125 prosecution costs.