A woman who called the police when her husband strangled her told a judge she was standing by him and did not want him jailed.

However, her plea was ignored by the court, with the judge also criticising experts who helped draft the woman's victim impact statement.

The judge had been told that the father-of-two became annoyed for no apparent reason and strangled his wife

Amran Khan, aged 35 years, assaulted his wife - Rajkiran Dhillon - on the evening of February 17 this year.

Prosecutor Lucy Kinder said: "On the evening of February 17 Mr Khan was annoyed at Mrs Dhillon for no apparent reason and suddenly assaulted her.

"He held her neck with his hands at full force for approximately 15 seconds, causing marks and scratches.

"On the same evening there was a further assault where Khan slapped Mrs Dhillon with his open palm. He hit her in the head and pushed her into the wall.

"Ms Dhillon tried to get up but Khan pushed her in the chest and put his knee on her side to stop her getting up."

The court heard that during the assaults Mrs Dhillon shouted at their oldest child to take their youngest next door to the neighbours.

Ms Kinder added: "At the end of that incident police received a 999 call from Mrs Dhillon saying her husband had assaulted her and she had escaped to a neighbour's property."

Ms Kinder described further incidencts of Khan assaulting his wife, including one where Ms Dhillon asked her husband to not discuss football with their child in October last year

During the ensuing assault, Khan slapped his wife in her jaw and pushed her back into the wall, where she hit her head. This happened in October last year.

The court also heard of an argument Khan and Mrs Dhillon had in a supermarket, where Ms Dhillon said her husband should "learn some manners."

Khan, of Uxbridge Road, Slough, Berks., told his wife he would show her how angry he was. When they arrived home, Khan picked up a baseball bat and damaged their home.

By contrast, Khan's wife gave a victim impact statement to the court, where she spoke of how supportive he had been.

She said: "I am grateful for finally being given the opportunity to share the truth about my situation. Since Amran's arrest my health has deteriorated significantly and my life has become increasingly challenging.

"Over the last year I have experienced an ongoing back problem. It began in November and progressively worsened each month.

"When Amran was present he provided unwavering support for me during this time."

Ms Dhillon said that although she was grateful for her parents' support, she has experienced her darkest days without her husband who provided hope.

She added: "I have no intention of leaving Amran. He is the husband and father to my children.

"Without Amran I am at breaking point."

Ms Dhillon said she needed her husband by her side to support her and her children.

"My husband is my family and my strength," she told Reading Crown Court.

The wife pleaded with Judge Amjad Nawaz not to jail her husband.

"Please, I implore you with all my heart, please do not break up our family."

Judge Khan criticised those drafting the victim impact statement, saying that a victim impact statement is not "a mercy plea" and is used to identify the impact on the victim.

He said: "Everybody should remember that and not exceed their remit."

Emily Culverhouse, defence counsel for Khan, said: "He is extremely sorry for his actions.

"One hopes that he can make reparation in the community as soon as possible."

Judge Nawaz said: "You lived in that family home and you should have set an example to your children. You did set an example but you set a very bad example.

"This conduct that I have to sentence you for, shows deplorable conduct in a domestic setting.

"You chose persistent violence and a course of conduct that shows to another person that you wield power over another person."

Judge Nawaz jailed Khan for 32 months for two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two counts of common assault. He will serve 40 per cent of the sentence in jail before being subject to supervision on licence for the rest of his sentence.

He has been in custody since February this year.

There was no separate penalty for the charge of causing criminal damage. Khan had admitted all the charges on a previous occasion.