A man who absconded on the day he was due to stand trial for a violent attack on a Gloucester woman has been jailed for more than four years.

Sean French's victim feared for her life as he assaulted her in her own home and considered jumping from a window to escape his violence, Gloucester Crown Court was told.

French, 28, of Bladon, Newcastle, had met his victim on the Plenty of Fish internet dating site and they had a sexual relationship lasting three weeks, the court was told.

Prosecutor Greg Gordon said French would regularly travel to her home in Hardwicke and stay with her. 

He told her about his past and that he had been to prison for drug offences, but did not reveal he had a history of domestic violence.

Mr Gordon said: "Trouble began when she found out he had been convicted for assault."

The prosecutor said after an evening out, in which he drank a bottle of whisky, he told her he was only seeing her because he needed a place to stay in the area.

After she went to bed, he began shouting at her, took her car keys and told her he was going to drive back to Newcastle. 

"French grabbed her by the throat and held her against the wall," said Mr Gordon. "She says she was crying and screaming. 

"French had his hand in a closed fist and threatened to kill her. He said to her 'You're dead'. He threw her onto the bed and, more than once, against the wall."

After telling her 'he had killed people', French threatened to slit her wrists before head butting a door frame.

"She went to the window and considered jumping out," he said. "She shouted for help from the window at which point French's demeanour changed and he apologised for his actions.

"But then his eyes changed and he reverted back to threatening to kill her and he moved towards her. She again shouted for help out of the window and this time a neighbour responded and called the police."

The court was told that in his interview, French claimed the woman had invented her version of events as a way at getting back at him.

The court heard French has five previous convictions for domestic violence and absconded from court on the day of trial in January before being picked up by police in the Newcastle area and pleading guilty at Gloucester Crown Court on June 1.

In a statement, the victim said: "I truly believe that he was going to kill me from the way his eyes looked.

"I felt trapped and didn't have any way of escaping. I was so close to jumping out of the window of my first floor flat, despite it being a 10 foot drop to the ground."

Rosalind Scott-Bell, defending, said: "This was clearly a terrifying ordeal for the victim. Fortunately there was no serious injury despite her being thrown at the walls in her flat.

"She is fearful and probably still suffers from flashbacks from being threatened to be killed.

"He has realised there is a pattern in his offending - getting drunk and threatening his partner with violence - that he wants to get off this wheel."

Judge Michael Cullum sentenced French to four years and one month in prison and imposed a 10-year restraining order not to contact his victim

He said: "You have an appalling record of violence towards your partners. You get drunk and you are violent and threatening towards them. 

"All your victims have had to endure very similar circumstances, deeply troubling threats of violence against them.

"You threatened to kill her in her own home in which she was effectively a prisoner at your hands. There is a degree of psychological harm and no doubt she will be fearful in any future relationships, having encountered you."

Need help and advice?  Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service (GDASS) is a county-wide service designed to reduce the level of domestic abuse and improve the safety of victims and their families.