A 37-year-old domestic abuser has been handed a suspended sentence and a two year Domestic Abuse Protection Order.

Gregory Clive Stephen John Hunt, of Ashley Park, Onchan, was also ordered to pay £1,000 compensation to his victim and put under supervision for two years.

Prosecuting advocate Hazel Carroon told magistrates that Hunt had been arguing with his then-girlfriend, on June 6.

He put his hands around her neck in choking motion, then forced her onto the bed, and punched her in the back of the head.

He was also said to have pulled her hair, ripping some out.

She later reported the incident to police, saying she’d been too scared to report it at the time.

Hunt was arrested and when interviewed said that he’d been ‘seven out of 10’, when asked how drunk he had been, and that he couldn’t really remember events.

He said that the victim had been shouting at him for ‘six hours straight’, but denied putting his hands around her neck, punching her, or pulling her hair.

He said he’d never put his hands on a woman with the intention of harming her, but that his actions had been reckless.

A victim impact statement was read out, in which the woman said she was now scared to go out alone and kept a ladder and a concrete ornament against her flat door.

She said she was afraid to answer the phone in case it was Hunt, and constantly worried that him or one of his friends would come round.

She said she had no family on the island, was isolated, and that her mental health had declined.

Magistrates sentenced Hunt to nine months’ custody, suspended for two years.

He must also pay £125 prosecution costs and will pay at a rate of £50 per week.