A 51-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed for 18 months and banned from driving for drink driving and assaulting a Wiltshire woman.

Matthew Ponchaud, of Bournemouth, was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court on August 11.

He pleaded guilty to the intentional strangulation of a woman in Tisbury and common assault following an incident on November 12 last year.

Ponchaud then made several phone calls to his victim, in breach of his bail conditions, and on January 9 threatened to kill her if she did not drop the charges.

Then, on March 7, he was stopped on the High Street, Hindon, and blew 74 at the roadside (the legal limit is 35) and was arrested for drink driving.

Local Crime Investigator for Wiltshire Police, Martin Batchelor, said: “I want to pay tribute to Ponchaud’s victim who despite intimidation continued to bravely speak to us about what had happened so that we were able to bring him to justice.

“We would always urge anyone who has been the victim of abuse, no matter when the offences occurred, to come forward and speak to police. We have specially-trained teams to investigate these types of crimes and we will deal with your report sensitively.”

People can report crimes on by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency.

For driving over the alcohol limit and two counts of assault, Ponchaud was given a custodial sentence of six months, ordered to pay a surcharge of £187 and disqualified for holding or obtaining a driving licence for 27 months.

For intentional strangulation and another count of assault Ponchaud was sentenced to a further 12 months in prison, ordered to pay £187 surcharge, given a restraining order not to contact his victim, and given a further two months in prison to run concurrently.