A WREXHAM man who strangled his ex-partner and bombarded her with over 700 calls has been spared jail.

Carl Evans, of Bury Street in Wrexham, appeared before Mold Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday, November 16.

The 37-year-old previously pleaded guilty to stalking and later, ahead of a trial, also pleaded guilty to a count of intentional strangulation.

Both acts were committed against Gemma Hughes, who Evans had been in a relationship with for a period of three years, the court was told.

Catherine Elvin, prosecuting, told the court that the strangulation took place on October 1, 2022.

Evans was said to 'regularly ask' the complainant for money and this day was no different.

He demanded £120 from her and she believed that he 'needed it for a drug debt'.

When Ms Hughes refused to give him the money, Evans proceeded to place 'both hands' around her throat.

His grip became 'tighter and tighter' during the incident which lasted around ten seconds, the court was told.

Ms Elvin said the incident resulted in 'no injuries' and Evans had messaged Ms Hughes after to say: "You know that was out of character", before asking for another sum of £40.

The relationship ended and Evans' campaign of stalking began.

TOP STORIES TODAY

Ms Hughes was the subject of 200 abusive voicemails from Evans between October and November 2022.

That was on top of 703 calls during a 28-day period, the court heard.

During this time, Evans also warned his former partner that 'bad things will happen'.

He sent messages to Ms Hughes on a daily basis, demanding money, both from his own phone number and withheld numbers.

On November 13, he was to visit her house where she spotted him 'peeping through the letterbox'. Three days later, Evans was seen outside Ms Hughes' place of work.

On November 14, he was warned by police not to attend Ms Hughes' address. However, he ignored this warning and was subsequently arrested on November 16.

But, he later made further calls in the month of December - including one on New Year's Eve, before being arrested again on January 1.

In March of this year, the defendant sent Facebook messages to Ms Hughes calling her a 'F*****g' mess'.

In a victim personal statement, she said that she still 'feels very unsafe' due to Evans' 'unpredictability'.

She added that the events had left her feeling 'anxious, scared and worried'.

James Coutts, defending, said that Evans had shown 'genuine feelings of disgust and shame' for what he did to his former partner.

He added that the defendant 'does recognise how scary' the incidents must have been for Ms Hughes.

Evans was said to have 'made steps down the right path' by cutting down his use of cocaine and seeking help for his depression.

Sentencing Evans, Judge Nicola Saffman said the defendant had been 'constantly demanding money to pay off drug debts'.

The judge sentenced him to 19 months in jail for the intentional strangulation charge, which was suspended for two years.

For the stalking, Evans received a sentence of 12 months, to run concurrently with count one.

He will have to attend 35 'Building Better Relationships' sessions, complete 25 days of a rehabilitation requirement activity programme and was placed on a six-month curfew (between the hours of 9pm and 6am).

A restraining order was also made for a period of 10 years.