A woman who fought off her ex-partner as he tried to strangle her with a sock says she can’t wear tight clothes because it brings back traumatic memories. Louise Thomas, 28, is still haunted by the assault, which happened on June 23, and has not returned to her home in Neath, West Glamorgan since, WalesOnline reports .
Shaun Lawrence, was jailed on October 3 for causing actual bodily harm to Miss Thomas, after he tried to throttle her and repeatedly smashed her head against a glass door.
Judge Paul Thomas QC told Swansea Crown Court the assault was so violent, Lawrence was “lucky” that he was not facing the greater charge of causing “grievous bodily harm”.
After the sentencing, Miss Thomas, a mother of three, described the moment Mr Lawrence crept into her kitchen on the Saturday morning.
“I was drying the dishes when I turned to see him at the door,” she said.
“He had a black sock in his hand and I knew there was going to be trouble; I thought ‘It’s game over for me’”.
“I couldn’t fight back,” said Miss Thomas.
“I managed to get my fingertips underneath the sock and loosen the grip a bit. But he tightened it again.
“I just wanted to get one last big breath.”
During the hearing, Mr Philips, for the prosecution, described how Mr Thomas pulled the sock tighter and tighter during the “sustained” and “terrifying” attack.
Lawrence then used his body weight to force her to the ground, and sat on top of her as he started to punch her, all the time keeping the sock tight around her neck.
She was eventually saved by a friend, who had come round to visit. She said Lawrence “literally dropped” her on the floor and ran off.
The court heard how the entire attack lasted around five minutes, which has left Miss Thomas too scared to go back to her house. She has since moved back with her mum in Maesteg.
For Miss Thomas, the prison sentence handed to her former partner is of little comfort.