A boyfriend who strangled his girlfriend with a torn-up T-shirt and told her he would kill her has been jailed.

Ellis Reeve was charged with strangulation and common assault on his part for two separate incidents last year.

Appearing at Maidstone Crown Court, the 27-year-old, from Gillingham, was sentenced to 21 months in prison for the strangulation offence, and three months, which will run concurrently, for the assault charge.

The court heard how in January last year he was under the influence of drink and drugs when he tore up a T-shirt and used it as a ligature around his girlfriend’s neck.

During mitigation, Recorder Edmund Fowler was told how Reeve was “sorry, regretful and remorseful” for his actions.

It was explained how in the days after he strangled his partner he had gone to see his GP in the coming days and admitted what he had done.

He told the doctor he was concerned that on that night he “lost control and saw raw emotion” and that he can get “triggered” when he is upset.

Reeve, who was a chief customer field engineer for City Fibre, was also sentenced for a common assault charge relating to an incident on July 4 where his partner rang police after he had pushed her to the ground outside her mother’s home.

While delivering his sentence, Recorder Fowler noted how CCTV was shown of the incident, as well as “menacing” audio of the Medway man berating his girlfriend.

He explained how Reeve had followed his partner and threw her to the ground outside her parent’s address and the relationship had left the victim drained.

He added: “It’s clear you have little control over your violent temper.”