A MAN told his wife ‘the kids won’t even know I’ve killed you’ as he climbed on top of her while she slept and squeezed her neck, a court has heard.

Martyn Brown, of Cemetery Road, Leeds, pleaded guilty to assaulting his wife by seizing and compressing her neck in an incident at a flat in Davidson Road, Balloch on Boxing Day.

At Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Friday, February 15, the 52-year-old was sentenced to eight months in jail.

Fiscal depute Meghan Glancey explained that the couple had been married for 25 years, and that on Christmas evening last year they spent the night together at the victim’s home address.

She said: “Both parties went to bed at 11pm. At twenty to two in the morning, the complainer was awakened with the accused on top of her squeezing her neck.

“He said to her 'the kids won’t even know I’ve killed you'.”

The woman managed to push Brown off her and contacted police.

Whilst on the phone to officers, Brown left the property, but he was later traced and taken to the police station where he was interviewed and made no comment.

Brown’s lawyer Danielle Docherty told Sheriff Maxwell Hendry: “This is his first domestic offence, he has been married 25 years. He is remorseful for his actions. He had separation issues as he was not staying with her.”

The sheriff replied: “This was a very strange way to show he was missing his wife.

Ms Docherty added: “He is very sorry for his actions. I understand that him and his wife do want to stay in a relationship.”

Brown's plea of not guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting and swearing had previously been accepted by the Crown.

The jail sentence - reduced from one of nine months because of Brown's plea of guilty to the assault charge - was backdated to December 27.