Pontypool Man Jailed for Strangling Girlfriend in Cwmbran

A domestic abuser has been jailed for 22 months after strangling his girlfriend during a violent attack at their shared home in Cwmbran.

Kyle Bird, 38, from Pontypool, attacked his partner after they argued during a drinking session on 6th January. The row erupted when she believed he was in contact with three other women, including his ex-partner.

Newport Crown Court heard that Bird left his victim with bruises on her neck after he “choked” her. Despite denying the assault, he was found guilty of strangulation following a trial.

The defendant had bizarrely claimed the bruising around her neck were love bites and that scratch marks were self-inflicted – a defence Judge Eugene Egan described as “specious” and rejected by the jury.

Judge Egan told Bird: “You had been in a relationship for around 13 months or so and you were living together. On January 6, you had both been drinking when an argument began.”

The judge said he was “satisfied” the row was over the complainant’s belief that Bird was in contact with three other women. He added: “You pulled her hair, dragged her towards the living room and choked her when you were standing up. You then pulled her to the floor and choked her.”

Prosecutor Roger Griffiths revealed that Bird had 11 previous convictions for 25 offences, and was sentenced to a community order with a restraining order in 2015 for battery.

Defence barrister Hannah Friedman said her client had worked for Snow White Laundries in Cardiff when “he had some kind of breakdown” and “has worked hard to get on top of his mental health difficulties”. She added that Bird’s father died just after he was remanded in custody, telling the court: “He found that time incredibly difficult.”

Bird, of Park Road, Penygarn, will serve half of his 22-month sentence in custody before being released on licence. His time on remand since his arrest will count towards the sentence.

He was also made subject to a five-year restraining order preventing contact with the woman and must pay a statutory victim surcharge. ⚖️