A BRIERLEY Hill man with drink and drug problems held a knife against his partner's stomach during an argument before grabbing her by the throat.

Matthew Marsh also made a series of threats, but he had no intention of carrying them out or causing her any harm, stressed Alexander Barnfield defending.

He said the 29-year-old had acted “completely out of character” and he behaved the way he did having taken a “cocktail” of drink and drugs before the incident.

Mr Barnfield told Wolverhampton Crown Court: “This is what was behind his erratic behaviour. This is a man who has had a difficult, chaotic and troubled lifestyle.”

Marsh, of Broadlands, admitted affray and he was placed on supervision for 18 months, with a condition he attends drug and alcohol rehabilitation programmes.

Geoffrey Dann, prosecuting, said Marsh's partner had made a complaint to police about his behaviour and at the time of the offence he was clearly not thinking properly.

Their argument continued and he picked up a kitchen knife, which he held to her stomach but it was accepted, said Mr Dann, that he did not intend to escalate the situation.

Marsh then grabbed her by the neck and she sustained a scratch from his fingernails.

After his arrest, the woman told police she had “flipped and exploded” and realised she should not have called the officers.

He was a man, she told police, who needed support and assistance for his problems - not punishment.

Judge Amjad Nawaz told Marsh he accepted he had no wish to cause harm with the knife but what he did was a “dangerous act.”