A young mum whose estranged partner grabbed her by throat because he wanted to examine her mobile phone said she feared he would kill her.

Josh Orr, 23, carried out the attack as he visited his estranged partner Bianca Threlkeld, magistrates sitting at the city's Rickergate court heard. Orr pleaded guilty to a common assault.

John Moran, prosecuting, said that during the visit to his former partner at her home in Dalston, near Carlisle, he became argumentative and suggested she had been cheating on him.

He wanted to check her phone but it was password protected and she would not tell him the password, said Mr Moran.

The prosecutor said: "She was sitting in her living room and he came over to her and put both his hands on her neck - on her throat.

"She couldn't breathe.

"She was fearful he was going to kill her."

She managed to stop him continuing to strangle her by pushing him away with her feet, said Mr Moran.

He continued to be verbally abusive and then put her in a headlock, pushing her on to the sofa, at which point she told him her phone's password.

He then checked her phone.

She was left with bruising to her neck where he had been strangling her.

She was now scared of the defendant and wanted the courts to impose a restraining order. Malcolm Dodds, for Orr, said the defendant and the victim ran into trouble nine months ago as a result of Facebook and so they had split up.

They had led separate lives until September of this year.

The fall out was again due to Facebook, said Mr Dodds.

"It was about contacts she'd and; messages sent; kisses from somebody he didn't know. Things went from bad to worse. and he overstepped the mark."

Mr Dodds said his client denied using his knees to hit Miss Threlkeld or hitting her but he's did admit pinning her down on the sofa by her neck because he wanted her to "shut up."

But her had not locked her in the house, as she had suggested, said the lawyer.

Mr Dodds said his client had done well to keep out of trouble for so long and he had recently signed up for an Army course at Catterick. Unfortunately, he had missed the appointment that was sent out to him and would now have to restart the application process.

"He has been looking for work but he was finding it hard to find full-time employment," added Mr Dodds

After hearing the case, magistrates imposed a year-long community order and a four week 7pm to 7am curfew which will be electronically tagged.

In addition, the defendant was told he will have to complete 100 hours of unpaid work in the community and abide by the terms of a restraining order which prevents him making any contact with this victim except through an agreed intermediary.

That order will last for the next two years.