A jealous bully strangled and viciously attacked a woman before bombarding her with abusive messages and death threats. Stephen Whittingham met the woman online and started a relationship, but the heavy drinker soon turned violent. On one occasion, the woman had to barricade herself in her bedroom with a chest of drawers, Hull Crown Court heard. Whittingham accused the woman, from the Hull area, of flirting with other men. During one angry episode, he hit her and left her with a black eye. The 41-year-old painter and decorator admitted intentional strangulation, assaulting the woman causing actual bodily harm, assaulting her and harassment. Oliver Shipley, prosecuting, said that the woman started speaking to Whittingham through Facebook Dating and they exchanged messages for a few months before agreeing to meet. They got on well in the early months and the relationship progressed. Whittingham would stay over with the woman at her home in the Hull area and he was respectful to her, building trust between them. However, she first became alarmed by his behaviour a few months later while they were at his home in Grimsby, where he lived with his mother. He was aggressive and would often shout at his mother. He began to be jealous of any other man. "This would often extend to bitter arguments and outbursts of anger from the defendant," said Mr Shipley. On one occasion, they went to a pub to celebrate the woman's birthday and he told her that she was not allowed to speak to men. "This continued until they returned home where it escalated into fighting," said Mr Shipley. Whittingham grabbed hold of the woman's neck with one hand and squeezed until she was struggling to breathe, causing bruising. A similar episode followed a few months later. He hurled insults at the woman in a pub and, when they returned home, he hit her in the face with an open palm, causing her nose to bleed, swell and later bruise over, said Mr Shipley. "She barricaded herself in her room that night with her chest of drawers," he added. A further violent incident followed and the relationship ended. Whittingham began sending the woman abusive messages and voice notes. "One of the voice notes warned her not to return or he would kill her," said Mr Shipley. She contacted the police. Whittingham was arrested at his Grimsby home. He was shown photographs of the woman's injuries, but he denied responsibility. Whittingham had convictions for five previous offences, including affray and assault with intent to resist arrest in May 2006. He had a caution for criminal damage in 2021. Whittingham, of the Carr Lane area of Grimsby, was a self-employed painter and decorator. He had a good reputation for being hard-working. Recorder Richard Wright KC told Whittingham: "The relationship was initially a welcome one and a good one. She began to see a different side to you relatively quickly. "It was a side that revealed itself through your jealousy and anger and arguments soon began in the relationship. One of the factors that characterised those arguments was drink and the way your behaviour changed by the use of drink." Recorder Wright said of the strangulation: "It's fortunate that she didn't sustain any serious injury or worse. Men should understand that, when they put their hands on a woman's throat and compress that throat, there is a serious risk of causing death or permanent injury." Whittingham was jailed for 22 months. He was given an indefinite restraining order.