A man who grabbed his brother-in-law by the neck and repeatedly punched him in the face has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Thirty-three-year-old Michael Williams went to the victim’s workplace and banged on the door, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

After being let in he grabbed the victim by the neck restricting his breathing and punched him several times on  the side of the face.

Before leaving he said he had keys to his house and threatened to go there at night and slit his throat, said Simeon Wallis, prosecuting.

The victim was so worried about the threat that he changed the locks to his house.

Part of the assault in April last year was heard by Williams’ sister, who had been on the phone to her husband when her brother turned up at his workplace.

In December, she had been driving a taxi when Williams pulled up alongside her in a car and called her a “grass”, said Mr Wallis.

He’d also told her: “You’re a dead woman.”

However, a witness claimed he heard Williams tell her: “You’re dead to me.”

Williams, of Westfield, Clare, admitted intentional strangulation, making a threat to kill and common assault in relation to his brother-in-law and making a threat with intent to cause fear of violence to his sister.

He was given a 14-month prison sentence suspended for two years, 80 hours of unpaid work, a mental health treatment order and a 25-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

The court heard that Williams had spent the equivalent of 104 days in custody.

Steven Dyble, for Williams, said his client had acted impulsively after being given information about a family matter that upset him.

He said Williams had acted out of character and he handed the court references from people who described him as kind, polite, hardworking and trustworthy.

Mr Dyble said Williams had expressed remorse for what he’d done.