A man drove his car into the front of his partner’s house as she cowered inside, a court heard.

Damien Knapton, 30, was jailed for 20 months yesterday after pleading guilty to damaging property being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

Bradford Crown Court heard Knapton drove his Escort RS at speed into the front door of Joanne Wade’s house in Wicken Close, Thorpe Edge, Bradford, on February 8 this year.

The court heard Miss Wade had been standing at the front door, but had retreated inside the house when the car hit it.

Jailing Knapton, of Colbert Avenue, Ben Rhydding, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC said a very real fear was caused to Joanne Wade.

He added: “Driving a motor car in the direction of a home, in which there is a person cowering within feet of the front door, is a serious matter.”

Prosecutor Andrew Kershaw said Knapton and his former partner had been together for 13 years and they had two children then aged seven years and 15 months.

The defendant had been to his grandfather’s funeral and had drunk a great deal and took exception to his partner phoning to ask when he was getting home.

When he got back to the house there was an argument, during which the children fled to their grandparents’ house nearby.

Mr Kershaw said Knapton snatched his partner’s phone and stamped on it, there was an incident involving pans of stew and he then left the house making threats. He got in his car and drove into the front door.

Knapton’s solicitor Alastair Bateman urging the judge to suspend the prison sentence, said his client had acted on the spur of the moment and had not driven at the complainant.

But the judge said the offence was too serious to be able to suspend the sentence.