A THUG choked his former partner while their 18-month-old son slept on a bed nearby.

Jermaine Morgan squeezed his hands over the throat of Rachel Parsons-Jones after a row at her home in West Tarring in Worthing.

The 33-year-old cannabis smoker, who hopes to become a bouncer, was babysitting their son while Ms Parsons-Jones attended a funeral.

Her friend returned with her and witnessed his “vicious” verbal and physical attack, where he throttled her for two minutes then shoved her to the bed, waking their son who was crying.

The friend shouted: “You are killing her.”

Police had been called to the address ten times by neighbours after rows between the former couple.

The Argus:

The attack left Ms Parsons-Jones terrified, with red finger marks around her throat.

But Morgan was jailed for 15 months for the domestic violence after admitting the assault [occasioning actual bodily harm] at Lewes Crown Court.

Amy Packham, prosecuting, said Ms Parsons Jones was left bloodied after banging her head during the attack on January 31 this year.

Morgan was angry to be awoken with his sleeping son when Ms Parsons-Jones got home late, and was prickly because he had not smoked cannabis that day.

Ms Packham said: “He put both hands on her throat and squeezed.

“She tried to scream, but couldn’t even make a small noise, she was hitting out to get him off her. He would not let go.

“During the struggle he pushed a finger in her eye, and cut her near her nose. He then shoved her to the bed with a lot of force.”

Karen Dempsey, defending, said Morgan was described as a good and caring father, who regrets the assault and accepts the relationship is over, asked Judge Charles Kemp to consider a suspended sentence.

The judge said: “It was a completely unjustified overreaction on your part.Your little boy was asleep, and you reacted to avoid waking him up, but things got completely out of hand.

Morgan, of Galatea Square in Peckham, was jailed for 15 months, and put under a restraining order for five years.