SUNDERLAND MAN JAILED FOR STRANGLING GIRLFRIEND AND BREACHING RESTRAINING ORDER
A violent offender named Daniel Creighton has been sentenced to 22 months in prison for a brutal assault on his girlfriend.The court was told that Creighton, who had been in an on/off relationship with the victim for 11 years, strangled her until she passed out during an incident earlier this year inside her Sunderland home.
The victim described the attack as she last remembered seeing her feet 'dangle above the floor' while Creighton held her in a chokehold.
She managed to regain consciousness after the assault and later contacted police.
Despite being previously banned from contacting her and serving a suspended sentence for breaching that order, Creighton reoffended.
He initially pleaded not guilty to one count of intentional strangulation but changed his plea on the day the trial was due to start.
He was convicted and sentenced to 22 months' imprisonment, with the court noting that he had managed to gain enhanced prisoner status while remanded.
Creighton had a troubled background, having been homeless from age 12 until 16, when he was placed in a hostel where he met the victim.
The court also imposed a 10-year restraining order.
The victim described her fear, stating, 'This is the first time in my whole life I have felt genuine fear that I was going to die.
I'm worried I don't have the courage to end the relationship but I understand that, if I don't, I honestly believe that Daniel will end up killing me.' The judge emphasized the seriousness of the offence, saying, 'Given you strangled her to the point she passed out, it is, indeed, fortunate for you that she suffered no permanent injuries or your sentence today would be much longer.'
