A BULLY has been jailed after suffocating his ex-partner and threatening to kill her while holding a knife.

It isn’t the first time Ryan Hankey had abused the victim, but last time he was given a chance by the courts.

His victim told Liverpool Crown Court how she would beg him not to hit her and that she was too scared to leave the relationship.

Hankey, of Sheffield Close, Great Sankey, appeared before the court on Friday after pleading guilty to intentional suffocation, threatening a person with a blade in a private place, and breaching a restraining order.

Prosecuting, Carmel Wilde said how the defendant and victim had been in a relationship but split up in June 2023 after he assaulted her which resulted in him being brought before the court.

Here, the 31-year-old was handed a suspended sentence order and was issued with a restraining order against his ex-girlfriend.

The pair resumed their relationship in October 2023 and at first Hankey was over affectionate, but it wasn’t long before he became abusive again.

Ms Wilde said how in February of this year, the victim was meant to be staying over at Hankey’s house but following an argument she tried to get dressed to leave.

The court heard how Hankey then pulled his ex-girlfriends leggings from her and put them in between his teeth in an attempt to rip them.

He then got a knife and started ‘waving it around’ saying he was going to kill her.

Liverpool Crown Court was told how the victim ‘collapsed’ in fear and curled up into a ball on the floor.

She managed to escape him, but he chased her.

The second offence happened in March this year when the couple were in bed eating pizza.

Ms Wilde said that here, Hankey accused the victim of cheating on him and tried to grab her phone.

As a result she got up to try and leave. He grabbed the pizza out of her hand and crumpled it before grabbing her by the hood and telling her to sit down.

Hankey then pushed the crying victim onto the bed and told her to be quiet before grabbing a pillow and smothering it over her face.

Ms Wilde told the court how the victim couldn’t breathe and was kicking her legs to try and get him off.

He suffocated her for around 30 seconds before she was able to escape and leave his house.

After the woman left, Hankey began calling her so she blocked his number. She then received calls from a withheld number, which was Hankey, as well as a torrent of abusive messages from him on Facebook.

Hankey was later arrested at his home address where blood stains were found on his pillows and bedding.

The victim read out a statement in court in which she revealed the impact Hankey’s offending has had on her.

She said she finds herself sitting there at night trying to justify his actions and that she often cannot sleep because she replays all of the incidents that occurred in her head.

“Every time I begged him to stop hitting me it was like he never understood that was he was doing was wrong,” she said.

“I was so scared, but for some reason I was too scared to leave.”

Hankey has four convictions for nine offences.

Defending, Emily Woodside said: “In his pre-sentence report, he is described as being someone who is reflective about his actions.

“He said he is ashamed of his actions.”

Ms Woodside said how her client began using cannabis while in high school and has since developed a dependency. She also said at the time of the offending, he was using cocaine, often on a daily basis.

The court also heard how Hankey has ADHD, autism and depression.

Concluding, recorder Martine Snowdon said: “She is not sure that she will ever get over the impact of what you did to her.

“It would have been a terrifying ordeal for anyone.

“You were given a chance in the form of a suspended sentence against the same partner.

“But you did not take that chance.

“You should have learned at the point, but you did not.”

Hankey was handed three years and three months behind bars.

An indefinite restraining order against the victim was also imposed.