A MAN from Prestatyn who strangled and assaulted his ex-partner, and contacted her after being bailed with conditions not to do so, has been jailed.

Anthony Cliffe, 45, of Grovesnor Road, was sentenced to 28 months’ imprisonment at Caernarfon Crown Court today (November 23).

He had previously admitted charges of assault by beating, intentional strangulation, and perverting the course of justice.

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Prosecuting, Thomas McLoughlin told the court that, at about 3.05am on April 29, Kathleen Edge woke to find Cliffe, then her partner, sending messages to other women.

Cliffe retaliated by swearing at her before he then “slammed” her mobile phone into her face, causing a cut to her mouth; Ms Edge, said she could taste her own blood as a result.

When she went to her bathroom, Cliffe followed her and pushed her from behind, before she then confronted him about what happened; Cliffe later started self-harming.

On May 18, at about 2am, Ms Edge received a phone call from Cliffe, during which he referenced his poor mental health, and threatened to self-harm again if she did not attend his address.

Ms Edge did so, but upon arrival at Cliffe’s home, he told her to “f*** off”.

But he subsequently gave her keys to access his home, and Ms Edge found him “pacing around a room”, before opening his phone to show that he had messaged other women.

She decided to leave, but as she stood up, Cliffe grabbed her throat with both of her hands; Ms Edge pleaded with him to stop but he refused.

Ms Edge said she next remembered “waking up some time later”, and feeling “confused and disorientated” and “extremely vulnerable”.

A third conversation ensued about him messaging other women, which led to Cliffe becoming aggressive, and telling Ms Edge: “You know I’m going to prison for this, don’t you?”

She suffered reddening and bruising to the side of her neck, and said she found it painful to swallow food, as a result of Cliffe strangling her.

When interviewed, Cliffe described the May 18 incident as consensual “light choking”.

He was bailed with conditions not to contact Ms Edge or approach her property, and she blocked him on social media.

But she was then made aware that Cliffe was posting on Facebook messages seemingly directed at Ms Edge, which she felt he was doing to persuade her to retract her police statement.

Examples of these posts from Cliffe were “always and forever???” and “start again???”

On May 23 at about 8.40pm, Cliffe phoned Ms Edge on a number she was unfamiliar with, telling her: “I know I’m not supposed to speak to you… you’re not going to tell the police, are you?”

He told her he wanted to “start again” with her, adding: “Only you can stop this by retracting your statement.”

This phone conversation was recorded, before the incident was later reported to police; Cliffe gave no comment when interviewed by police again.

In a statement, Ms Edge said she is “scared and anxious all the time”, adding that she struggles to sleep and suffers heart palpitations and daily panic attacks.

She said: “I just break down constantly, and I get regular flashbacks of me fighting for my life.

“I trusted him because he told me he would change, and that we were going to get married. He ensured me that it was only me he was speaking to.”

Defending Cliffe, who had two previous convictions, Sarah Yates said he is “ashamed” of his behaviour, and has written an apology letter.

Cliffe was said to suffer from severe depression and anxiety, and struggle with drug and alcohol abuse.

Ms Yates said he has used his time while on remand in custody productively, and is now in a stable relationship with another woman.

He hopes to return to employment and find a “stable footing” upon his release, she added.

Sentencing, Recorder Wyn Lloyd-Jones ordered Cliffe to adhere to an indefinite restraining order, prohibiting him from contacting Ms Edge.

Cliffe will pay a statutory surcharge of £228 upon his release.

Recorder Lloyd-Jones told Cliffe: “What you were trying to do, in practical terms, was avoid punishment for what you’d done.

“You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself.

“I do certainly hope that, today, you are genuinely sorry for what you’ve done.”