A MAN who squirted lighter fluid over his ex-partner and threatened to set her on fire has escaped with a suspended sentence.

Ryan Seggie, aged 25, was handed a 13-month suspended sentence after admitting affray and common assault at Bolton Crown Court.

The judge also put a restraining order in place preventing Seggie, of East Way, Hall i’ th’ Wood, from contacting the victim, or entering Burnham Walk, and ordered him to undergo 20 days of rehabilitation.

The incident happened during the early hours of July 31, 2017 at the victim’s home in Burnham Walk, Farnworth.

At an earlier hearing, the court heard that the couple had been watching a film when a disagreement led to Seggie running towards the victim and ‘squirting’ her with lighter fluid from a can.

The fluid went in her hair and down her back, and some also went into her eyes.

Throughout the night, Seggie then threatened to set her on fire.

After hearing the commotion, the victim’s 18-year-old son, who was upstairs with a friend, came downstairs.

Seggie then kicked the friend in the genitals, after he threatened to call his friends, before chasing him and the son back upstairs, trying to get the friend’s mobile phone from him.

In the meantime, the woman climbed out of a window and began running up the street shouting ‘help, help’.

Seggie then came running after her and dragged her back into the house before the police arrived a short time later.

David Lees, prosecuting, told the court that the victim no longer wanted anything to do with Seggie and had applied for a restraining order.

The court also heard that Seggie had a string of previous convictions, the first coming in 2005 when he assaulted another child when just 13-years-old.

Seggie also had a conviction for assaulting a security guard in 2011, and was sentenced to six months in prison in 2013 following a burglary which breached a previous suspended sentence he had been given.

Andrew Costello, defending, told the court that Seggie was the youngest of eight siblings, and that he lacked a positive role model when growing up.

Mr Costello said that the fact Seggie owned his own bricklaying business and had pleaded guilty to affray and common assault was deserving of leniency.

Judge Timothy Stead, told Seggie: "It's clear to me that you were struggling to deal with the relationship you had with the victim. I have found that you scared her into believing that this was your intention to cause extreme violence to her."