A 25-year-old man has been jailed for two years and nine months after breaking into his former partner’s home and holding a kitchen knife to her neck.

Damien Cafferky was labelled “a coward and a bully” by Judge Jonathan Rose, who sentenced him for offences of violence against Ashlee Dawn.

Cafferky was yesterday cleared at Bradford Crown Court of an arson attack on Miss Dawn’s hairdressing salon.

Her new business, called Trash, was set alight on July 17 last year, the day after the opening party.

Cafferky, a construction worker of Haycliffe Road, Little Horton , Bradford, denied any involvement in the arson offence and was acquitted by the jury.

The court heard he had put money into the venture and done building work at the premises.

He had already pleaded guilty to assaulting Miss Dawn, an offence of affray at her home and breach of a restraining order.

Judge Rose said they were “despicable” offences, fuelled by drinking and jealousy.

On July 17 last year, Cafferky spat at Miss Dawn in their then family home, put his hands round her throat and dragged her off the settee.

He forced his way into the house while on bail on July 30 and was sentenced by magistrates in November to a community order and a restraining order.

On Boxing Day, Cafferky saw Miss Dawn out for the evening and, in the early hours of December 27, he sent her abusive text messages.

He broke into the house at 6am and armed himself with a kitchen knife that he held to Miss Dawn’s neck.

He dropped the weapon and ran upstairs looking for her new boyfriend, but did not discover him hiding under a bed.

The court heard Cafferky went on the run before giving himself up in May and being remanded in custody.

Judge Rose made a new restraining order without limit of time ordering him not to contact Miss Dawn.

Cafferky’s barrister, Jayne Beckett, said his relationship with Miss Dawn had been very strong.

Their partnership broke down completely after he was wrongly accused of setting fire to her hairdressing salon.

“His state of mind was in tatters,” Mrs Beckett said.

The offences were committed in drink and, since being held in jail, he had worked hard doing painting jobs.