Rothwell thug strangled partner and threatened to 'put her 10ft under'

A Rothwell thug strangled his partner for two minutes and left her fearing she was going to die after threatening to ‘put her 10ft under’.

Daniel Charman carried out two terrifying domestic assaults in three days, with one sparked by his victim stamping on a packet of biscuits.

The 31-year-old also dragged her across a room and hit her head against a cabinet – but suggested bruises on her arms were from playing a ‘dead arm game’ when he was arrested.

On Wednesday (July 12) he was jailed for a total of 26 months after admitting common assault and intentional strangulation.

Northampton Crown Court heard Charman, of Field Mouse Close, had been in a relationship with his partner for 14 years when two incidents took place earlier this year.

Prosecuting, Alice Aubrey-Fletcher said an altercation took place at their home on February 18 after Charman’s partner was said to have stamped on a packet of his biscuits.

She said: "He flew into a rage and hit her multiple times and dragged her across the room.

"She tried to escape up the stairs...when she attempted to phone the police he grabbed her around the neck with both hands."

The court heard Charman, who appeared over videolink from HMP Peterborough, strangled his partner for about two minutes.

She felt as if she was losing consciousness and described her vision going blurry.

Ms Aubrey-Fletcher said: "He threatened that he would put her 10ft under. She thought he would kill her."

The incident came two days after another attack on February 16 where Charman grabbed his partner by the throat in their kitchen.

The court heard the victim retaliated by hitting out at him but he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to the floor.

Charman, whose previous convictions include an assault in 2020, then hit her head against a cabinet.

He was interviewed by police on February 18 and admitted having a verbal argument but denied strangling his partner or threatening to kill her. When shown images of her bruises he said he wasn't responsible, suggesting she got bruises on her arms from playing a dead arm game.

The court heard police had attended multiple domestic callouts in the four years prior to these attacks.

Mitigating, William Forber-Heyward said Charman had spent four-and-a-half months in custody on remand and that it was his first taste of prison.

He said: "He tells me that he is a changed man. He now realises what will happen if he continues down this path of offending."

Mr Forber-Heyward added that Charman had used his time in prison effectively, taking part in programmes, and that there was a prospect of rehabilitation.

He said that Charman, who faced up to five years in prison, accepted that his behaviour was unacceptable and understood that he needs to work on his anger.

He said: "He tells me that he needed a long period of time in prison to do some soul searching."

Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking KC told Charman he would serve up to half of his sentence behind bars before being released on licence.

She said: "I am concerned about the risk that you present to future partners."