A drunken husband who threatened to kill his wife after drinking 16 pints of beer has been given a suspended jail sentence.

Dennis King, 64, brandished a serrated steak knife as he pushed his wife Janet to the floor in the kitchen of their home in Eastbourne and shouted: "I will kill you."

At Lewes Crown Court King admitted threats to kill, assault causing actual bodily harm and common assault.

Sarah Thorne, prosecuting, told the court King, who suffers from bi-polar disorder, lost his temper at the couple's home in Latimer Road on the evening of January 11.

Because of his foul mood she called her neighbour Suzanne Huggett for support but when she arrived King became even more angry.

Ms Thorne said: "He became enraged and grabbed and his wife and bent her backwards over the kitchen worktop. She has a long-standing medical condition and she was suffering pain. She managed to escape. He grabbed a serrated steak knife and came at her with that. He punched her to the ground and shouted 'I will kill you'.

"Ms Huggett desperately tried to get him away from her. She was pushed away when she tried to step in between the two of them."

The police were called and by the time they arrived he was packing a suitcase.

He told officers he had drunk 16 pints of beer and remembered little about what happened.

Mrs King, who had been with her husband for 27 years, and her neighbour were in court to see him sentenced.

Frank Winslett, defending, said King suffered from a history of mental health issues and severe drink problems.

He said: "He is ashamed of his conduct."

The court heard King has been living with his sister in Sheffield since his arrest.

Mr Winslett said: "As to whether the marriage can continue after what happened, only time will tell."

King was sentenced to six months in jail suspended for two years. He will be supervised by the probation service for two years and must attend a domestic abuse programme.

Recorder David Griffiths-Jones QC said: "It must have been an horrific experience for your wife and Mrs Huggett. This was an appalling incident."