Furious ex stood on woman's neck after leaving Wakefield pub when she ended relationship

John Rowlands was seen to drag the woman to the floor and “stand” on the her, a witness later told police.

The 46-year-old admitted a charge of actual bodily harm (ABH) during a hearing at Leeds Crown Court this week.

The court heard that the pair known each other for years but had been in a relationship about 14 months, but then split up.

The pair met in the Six Chimneys pub in Wakefield city centre on the evening of February 27 this year, along with the woman’s son and his partner. The purpose was to discuss the relationship that had ended around three of four weeks prior.

They went to The Bridge Inn on Bridge Street and stayed until last orders, before leaving, with everything appearing to be “normal and calm”, prosecutor Joel Wootten said.

But Rowlands’ attitude then changed and he became irate and “got in the woman’s face”. Worrying, she asked her son’s partner to call the police.

Rowlands, of Manygates Crescent, Wakefield, kept asking the woman if “it was over”, referring to their relationship, and she eventually told him it was.

He then pushed her to the floor then put his right foot on her throat, pinning her to the floor. He did not apply enough pressure to stop her from choking, the court heard.

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The police arrived and arrested him. During his interview he denied attacking her, but did there was a verbal altercation. He was held on remand until his sentence hearing this week, where he appeared from HMP Leeds via video link.

Mitigating, Anthony Sugare said he had been on remand for 42 days and added: “I will submit he has probably learned his lesson.”

Judge Andrew Stubbs KC acknowledged that Rowlands had not been in trouble for violence since 2007, but said spending a night drinking “was never going to be successful” in resolving their relationship issues.

He gave him a two-year community order, 20 rehabilitation days, 100 hours of unpaid work and told him to attend the Building Better Relationships domestic violence course.