Sunderland brute jailed for strangling girlfriend until she passed out after breaching restraining order
The victim said the last thing she remembered before she was unconscious was seeing her feet 'dangle above the floor' as her partner, Daniel Creighton, held her in a chokehold
by Sara Nichol · ChronicleLiveA violent brute has been locked up after he strangled his girlfriend until she passed out.
The victim chillingly said that the last thing she remembered before she lost consciousness was "seeing her feet dangle above the floor" as her partner, Daniel Creighton, held her in a chokehold. A court heard that the 28-year-old was already banned from contacting the woman, and on a suspended sentence for previously breaching that order, when the attack happened inside her Sunderland home earlier this year.
Creighton, formerly of Noble Street, in Sunderland, had initially pleaded not guilty to one count of intentional strangulation but changed his plea on the day the trial was due to start. Now, the thug has been locked up for 22 months after he was sentenced for that offence, breaching a restraining order and breaching a suspended sentence.
Ian West, prosecuting at Newcastle Crown Court, said Creighton and the victim had been in an on/off relationship for 11 years but it had soured and he was convicted of harassing her in November 2022, when a restraining order was made. However, on April 5 this year, the woman invited him over to her home.
Mr West said that the pair enjoyed a drink together but Creighton got angry when she refused to let him see who she was messaging on her phone. He initially put her in a chokehold for very short time before he let her go and she ran and locked herself in the bathroom.
Mr West continued: "When she came out, the defendant was standing outside the door. She asked him to leave and he grabbed her from behind in a chokehold. This time, he restricted her breathing until she passed out.
"She said the last thing she remembered before passing out was seeing her feet dangle above the floor. "I though I was going to die", she said."
The court heard that the woman regained consciousness and went to bed crying, with Creighton later joining her. However, in the morning, she sneaked out the house and phoned the police.
In a statement, the victim said: "This is the first time in my whole life I have felt genuine fear that I was going to die. I'm worried I don't have the courage to end the relationship but I understand that, if I don't, I honestly believe that Daniel will end up killing me."
The court heard that Creighton was remorseful and had managed to gain enhanced prisoner status while on remand. Cainan Lonsdale, defending, added: "He did have a troubled upbringing and was homeless at 12 and remained homeless until he was 16, when he was housed in a hostel. That's where he met the complainant."
Locking him up, Judge Gavin Doig said: "Given you strangled her to the point she passed out, it is, indeed, fortunate for you that she suffered no permanent injuries or your sentence today would be much longer."
Creighton was also made subject of a restraining order for 10 years.
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