A Sunderland man has been jailed and is facing potential deportation after he strangled his pregnant partner after she complained about him smoking.
The woman had told Dadir Miah she needed to use the toilet at their home, in an undisclosed part of Sunderland, and he began shouting at her for disturbing him and said he would “do what he wanted and take as long as he needed”.
Newcastle Crown Court heard when he finally left the room there was a “very strong” smell of smoke and she asked him not to do it in the house, which she had also told him previously.
But prosecutor Graham O’Sullivan told the court: “He said he would smoke in the bathroom if he wanted to. He was still angry and shouting at her.”
The court heard when the row continued in the living room the victim told Miah to leave or she would phone the police.
Mr O’Sullivan added: “He said to her ‘you can call the police before I kill you’.
“He then lunged towards her on the sofa and put his had around her throat, on her neck. He grabbed her and forced her head towards the ground and held her, face down.
“He held her there, she thinks for about a minute, then he pulled her back.
“His hand remained on her throat the whole time. He was squeezing her throat hard and she felt an intense pain in her head.”
The court heard the woman, who said she “thought she was dying”, was dizzy and her slight was blurry and she felt herself dipping in and out of consciousness.
She was admitted to hospital with severe pain to her throat, neck and back and told medics what had happened to her.
Miah, 40, of no fixed address, initially told police there had been an argument but claimed she was “acting” unconscious.
He later pleaded guilty to intentional strangulation.
Judge Gavin Doig sentenced him to 17 months behind bars, which he said may result in Miah’s deportation afterwards.
Laura Miller, defending, said Miah has lived in the UK for 15 years, has no previous convictions and a good work record.
However, he was unable to speak English in the trial.
Miss Miller told the court: “He is very sorry for his actions.”
Speaking via an interpreter, over video link to prison where he has been held on remand for four months, Miah said: “I am very sorry and I am ashamed of what I have done.”