A MAN who punched, kicked and almost strangled his girlfriend in a five-year reign of abuse has been jailed for three years.

Christopher Andrew Lea, 31, repeatedly attacked Alison Dunning between 1998 and 2003.

At York Crown Court yesterday, he admitted nine counts of assault between April 1998 and July 2003.

Judge Bentley QC said Lea used Ms Dunning like a punchbag, and called his case a "dreadful tale of cowardly bullying." Ms Dunning was left with a series of injuries and bruises, and repeatedly lied to hospital staff about what happened.

Mr Abdul Iqbal, for the prosecution, said the abuse began in April 1998, shortly after Lea and Ms Dunning had begun their relationship.

Lea, of The Groves, York, told Ms Dunning to leave his flat after an argument, but they later met by chance in a city-centre nightclub.

They returned home where, the court heard, Lea dug his fists in to her ribs and punched her in the head leaving her with a black eye.

Ms Dunning became pregnant just after Christmas 1998, but after the couple had moved into a new house with their baby daughter their problems continued.

In 2001, after their second daughter was born, Ms Dunning ran upstairs following an argument. Lea followed her and repeatedly punched her in the head and body as she sat on her child's bed.

Later that year Lea attacked Ms Dunning in the bathroom, grabbing her by the neck and pressing against her jugular vein until she passed out.

Further attacks followed in 2003. In April or May that year, Ms Dunning's legs were left black and blue after repeated kicking by Lea, and later that summer he again held her by the neck until she passed out.

In July 2003, Lea returned from an evening out and attacked Ms Dunning while she was in bed. He grabbed her by the legs and dragged her across the bed, before repeatedly kicking her.

Yesterday's case came after the Evening Press reported a dramatic rise in domestic abuse in York in recent months. In 2004/05, North Yorkshire Police recorded 4,797 incidents of domestic abuse. That represented an increase of 21 per cent from 2003/04.

Updated: 10:47 Tuesday, June 28, 2005