A MAN from Worle has dodged jail after strangling a woman at a family festival in Hampshire.

Richard Godwin, of Lyddon Road, was handed a 12-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, at Winchester Crown Court on Friday, March 1.

Godwin, 49, pleaded guilty to the intentional strangulation of a woman at CarFest South at Laverstoke Park Farm, in Overton near Basingstoke, on August 27.

Judge Adam Feest KC ordered him to pay £2,000 and enforced a restraining order. Godwin was represented by defence barrister Samantha Ball.

The victim cannot be named for legal reasons.