A man who beat and throttled a woman who claimed she was expecting a baby in a bid to halt the violence was jailed for three years and nine months.

Paul Coulter attacked his victim in her home in the East End on New Year’s Day last year.

The woman said: “I told him I was pregnant to stop him hitting me.”

The woman went to hospital following the assault accompanied by Coulter, but revealed to a nurse that it was him who had attacked her.

Coulter, 33, who was on bail, was convicted of assaulting her to her severe injury on January 1 last year. He was originally charged with raping the victim but was acquitted.

The judge pointed out that Coulter had been jailed in Ireland for a similar type of offence.

He jailed him for three years for the attack and a further nine months for breaching bail. Coulter will also be supervised for a year after his release.