A READING man strangled his girlfriend in the early hours of the morning after drinking ‘20 to 30’ bottles of beer.

Wezley Small, of Palmera Avenue, Calcot, today avoided jail for the ‘isolated’ incident.

The 38-year-old caused multiple injuries to his partner, who he assaulted after overhearing a phone call in which she said she was not happy in their relationship.

The incident occurred on May 23, 2020, after Small and his partner had bought alcohol from a shop after work.

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They then sat in different rooms as Small’s partner called friends on Zoom.

Small overheard one conversation where the woman told a friend about her unhappy relationship.

The woman went to bed and at around 2.30am, when she was sleeping, Small confronted her.

He put both hands around the woman’s neck and shouted ‘how dare you.’

Small also told his partner he was going to ‘f***ing kill’ her.

After she wriggled free, Small then assaulted her downstairs, too.

At one point, he put his hand over her mouth to stop her screaming.

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Nonetheless, neighbours heard shouting and loud noises as a result of the incident.

His assault came to an end and he drove away.

Mr Recorder S Ritchie QC, sentencing, said Small acted out of ‘retribution for her disloyalty’.

The court authority also said he believed the assault was not persistent and involved a single blow.

Mr Ritchie noted how Small had drunk ‘20 to 30’ bottles of Peroni prior to the assault.

“This substantially contributed to this offence”, he said.

“Alcohol is an issue for you that needs dealing with.”

Michael Haggar, prosecuting, said the woman was left with injuries to her neck and jaw and she struggles to eat as a result.

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In a victim statement read by Mr Haggar, she said: “I do not feel safe in my own home anymore.

“I still have recurring nightmares where I replay the night he strangled me and beat me up.”

Silas Lee, defending, said this was an ‘isolated’ incident and Small accepted he had been found guilty of assault.

Reading Crown Court heard how Small has reduced his alcohol intake since the incident.

Mr Ritchie, sentencing, handed Small a 22-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

He must take part in 30 days of a rehabilitation programme and abstain from alcohol for 120 days.

Small was also banned from making contact with the victim for five years.

The Calcot man was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Friday, April 22.