A WOMAN feared she was going to die when her partner took hold of her by the throat and made gestures at her with a knife, a court heard.

Jack Grocott, of Elidie close in Connah's Quay, appeared in custody at Wrexham Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old admitted that on three occasions in the last two months, he assaulted his partner Danielle Thomas in Flintshire.

Sara Worland, prosecuting, told the court that on Sunday, North Wales Police received a call from the complainant saying she'd gone to a neighbour's house because her partner was "going crazy."

He'd grabbed her throat and taken her phone, she said, and he had a knife.

When the police arrived at the location, they found he'd run away through the rear of the address and over some hedges, but he was later located and arrested.

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The defendant had been in a relationship with Ms Thomas since February, but things started to deteriorate between May and June.

On another one of the incidents, which took place in June, the defendant grabbed her face and pushed her into a hallway, threatening to kill her if she called the police.

The second incident, which took place between Thursday and Friday last week, saw him once again grab her face, then push her down - which caused her to fall against a radiator and bruise her side.

On the Sunday, the incident began with the defendant shouting at her about missing calls from him and accusing her of seeing other people and lying to him.

They went shopping and then returned to the house, when the arguing began.

Grocott said he'd "happily do time" for stabbing her, following which he pushed her around the house and grabbed her by the throat.

While in the house he had a knife in his hand and was gesturing to her with it.

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When the defendant went to the shop, Ms Thomas went to her neighbour's property to call the police.

In a statement read to the court, Ms Thomas said she "genuinely feared" she was "going to die" when he took hold of her by the throat and when he took hold of the knife.

"I did not know what he would do," she said.

District Judge Gwyn Jones said he felt it right that a pre-sentence report should be compiled before sentencing.

Andy Hutchinson, defending, said his client had the "good sense" to enter timely guilty pleas to the offences.

He invited the District Judge to grant Grocott bail in the intervening period, offering an address with a relative some 200 miles out of the area, and suggesting conditions including not to enter North Wales except to attend court.

But the District Judge said the risks of granting him bail were "far too great."

He was remanded in custody and will next appear before the court on August 24 to be sentenced.

 

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