Darryl Young, 60, of Rocquettes Lane, St Peter Port, admitted an offence under the Domestic Abuse and Related Provisions Law.
The court was told how the incident occurred after the couple had returned home following a verbal altercation at their work place. The woman threw her coat at the defendant and its zip struck him on the lip.
In response he grabbed her by the neck and the two fell to the floor, where he claimed he held her by the throat in order to restrain her.
Young told police later that he genuinely thought he was being attacked when the jacket was thrown at him but accepted his actions had been excessive.
Two thin necklaces around the woman’s neck were broken and a person who came to collect her soon afterwards said they saw fingernail marks on her neck.
Young wrote a card to the woman after the incident apologising for his actions. Nearly two weeks later the woman decided to make a complaint to police. Young initially said in response that he had tripped on a step in the kitchen and fallen on top of her.
In a victim impact statement that was read to the court, the woman said she thought she was going to die that day. Young’s last conviction had been for drink-driving in 2015.
Defending, Advocate Samuel Steel said his client had nothing on his record for domestic abuse. His guilty plea might have come late in the day but it meant that the woman had not been forced to give evidence in court.
Judge Marc Davies said the prosecution had been brought under a relatively new law which was created to enhance protection for people in domestic situations and to make sure that behaviour of this type could be reflected in the court’s sentencing.
He had thought long and hard about sending the defendant to prison but as he had no record of generally abusive relationship behaviour or previous offending of this type, he would not.
He had also taken his housing situation into account.
Young was ordered to perform 120 hours of community service as a direct alternative to six months in prison. He must also pay £1,000 compensation to the woman.