A THUG who held broken glass to his partner's neck in a drunken rage has been branded "immature and selfish" by a judge.

Andrew Bridgeford tried strangling his victim, punched her and dragged her around her kitchen by her hair while her teenage daughter begged him to stop.

Judge Timothy Clayson, sentencing Bridgeford via a video link from Bradford Crown Court told him: "That's an absolute disgrace. If there is only one thing worse and more cowardly than attacking a woman, it's attacking a woman in the presence of her child.

"It is despicable. I hope you are getting an idea of just how angry I am."

The court heard how 33-year-old Bridgeford pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm to the woman at her home in Bolton on the day his trial was due to start.

Imran Khan, prosecuting, told how Bridgeford and the woman had been in a relationship when, on July 9 last year, an argument broke out and he was told to leave her home.

But at 4am the next morning he sent her a text saying he was outside the property and asking if she would let him in.

"She allowed him inside, however noticed that he was highly intoxicated," said Mr Khan.

The argument resumed during which Bridgeford smashed a glass at her feet and then picked up a shard and held it against her ear after grabbing her around the neck and trying to strangle her.

Screaming at her, he then punched her several times in the face before pushing her to the floor and dragging her by her hair.

"He pushed her into a kitchen unit, causing her to bang her head and lose consciousness," said Mr Khan, who added that when she woke up she saw Bridgeford in her back garden, with neighbours shouting for him to "shut up".

Bridgeford resumed his attack upon her, smashing a bottle on the kitchen counter and, again, held a piece of glass towards her, making stabbing movements.

"The victim's daughter was present and was described as begging the defendant to stop," said Mr Khan who said the child and her mother then fled to a neighbour's house and police were called.

In a statement read out in court Bridgeford's victim said: "I am fearful of what he will do next and think that, if it goes on, he will kill me."

Bridgeford, of Barton Road, Farnworth, was arrested and initially denied assaulting the woman. At the time the defendant, who has 19 previous convictions, was subject to a community sentence for breaching a restraining order banning him from contacting another former partner.

Barry Grennan, defending, said Bridgeford has a major problems conducting relationships, is anxious for help and his mother fears he is bipolar and autistic.

He stressed that Bridgeford, who works as a roofer, has already spent more than seven months in prison.

Judge Clayson told Bridgeford: "You are showing an ability to hurt female partners when you are drunk and if things go wrong you could end up facing a massively serious charge.

"You become violent, you lose all sense of balance and, if I have one piece of advice for you it is that you should give up drinking altogether."

The judge told him that he deserves to go to prison but, bearing in mind the time he has already spent behind bars, sentenced him to two years in prison, suspended for two years and ordered him to participate in a relationships programme plus 30 days of rehabilitation activities.

Bridgeford was also ordered to pay his victim £750 in compensation and a restraining order was made banning him from contacting her.