A suspicious boyfriend attacked his partner in her bedroom, because he suspected she was cheating on him.

Magistrates heard that chef Krys Ritson, 28, of Basket Road, Whitehaven, was so suspicious of his girlfriend that he threatened to smash her phone and then he grabbed her by the throat – although he denied doing that.

At Carlisle’s Rickergate Magistrates’ Court, the defendant admitted a common assault on the basis that he threw her on to her bed.

Prosecutor Pamela Fee described how the argument between the couple got out of hand just after midnight on February 23.

The row began as Ritson, at that stage downstairs, sent his partner Rebecca Alinson a Facebook message threatening to smash her phone.

“After this, he entered the bedroom and grabbed her round the throat,” said Miss Fee.

He also demanded she hand over her phone.

“He said Rebecca was unhappy with him all week because some girl had tried to talk to him on Facebook and they’d been constantly arguing all week.

“He became suspicious that she was trying to hide something from him and must be cheating on him,” she added.

In her victim statement, Miss Alinson said such incidents had been happening more often.

The court heard that Ritson had been involved in domestic incidents with previous partners.

Representing himself, Ritson said he accepted everything the prosecutor said except the claim that he grabbed Miss Alinson’s throat.

“But I did push her on to the bed,” he said. “She was shouting, and screaming and carrying on.”

Ritson accepted he needed help with his anger.

A probation officer who interviewed Ritson told magistrates that his offending was linked to his jealousy and paranoia, and poor emotional management skills.

Though remorseful, he sought to apportion blame to his victim.

There had been several serious incidents involving previous partners.

“I have concerns with relation to his attitude towards the use of violence within intimate relationships,” said the probation officer.

Magistrates imposed 120 days of custody but suspended the sentence for two years. They also imposed 20 days of rehabilitation and ordered that Ritson complete a Building Better Relationships course and observe an 18-week 7pm to 7am curfew.

He must pay a £115 surcharge, £85 costs, and £100 compensation to his victim.

“You need to get a grip of yourself and sort yourself out – otherwise you will go to jail,” warned the presiding magistrate.