Violent Peter McNaughton grabbed Nicola Barrett by the shoulders, hauled her over an ironing board and pinned her to the ground with his knees during the attack.

He then ripped her iron, which was plugged in, out of the wall and wrapped the cord tightly round her neck before strangling her with it.

But the thug was not as bold when the police went to speak to him in relation to the callous attack.

Paisley Sheriff Court heard that he took off when he spotted the police vehicle outside his home and was found hiding crouched behind a pigeon coup in a nearby garden.

Barrett bravely took the stand to give evidence against McNaughton, of Waulkmill Avenue, last week.

Giving evidence from behind a screen so she did not have to face McNaughton, she told the court: “He ripped the plug out the wall, wrapped the cord around my neck and choked me half to death. I was scared for my own life.” Barrett sobbed throughout her evidence about the attack, which happened in June last year.

The court heard the pair were in a relationship which ended around August 2012.

Six months later, in February 2013, she bumped into McNaughton in the street and saw he was going through a rough patch.

So she decided to play the Good Samaritan and offered him the chance to stay with her at her Divernia Way home for a short while until he sorted himself out.

She explained: “When I seen him he was looking like hell. I felt sorry for him. I offered him to stay at my house, have a shower, clean himself up.

His mum had moved away to Nottingham.”The 36-year-old repaid Barrett by staying in her home for six months – then nearly killing her when she asked him to move out.

Sheriff Robert Fife was told that violence flared after soon-to-be-disabled Barrett rowed with McNaughton about her having to walk his dogs.

She explained: “I know I’ll be in a wheelchair in a couple of years, I told him, ‘I can’t keep walking your dogs’.” Despite the attack Barrett managed to compose herself and make the 30-minute walk to her local chemists, Lloyd’s on Barrhead Main Street.

While making the trip Barrett said she spotted two police officers and told them she’d been assaulted.

But she didn’t report the incident properly until a short time later, telling the court it was in case anyone overheard her.

She explained: “Everyone hangs about the Main Street, they would have heard.

“I feel sorry for the next girl he gets his hands on with an iron cord around their neck.” Barrett’s pal, Lynn Ferguson, was also in the house at the time of the assault.

Speaking of the attack, she said: “It was about 9.30 or 10 o’clock in the morning, the ironing board was up as they were ironing clothes. When I went in they were arguing already.

“She wanted Peter out of the house – he had left her with his two dogs for over a week. He ran over and grabbed a hold of her and pulled her over the ironing board.

“The ironing board fell and he grabbed the iron, which was still plugged in. He put his knee on her chest. He ripped it out the socket.

“He put the iron cord round her neck, he wound it round, it was tight. He was pulling it tight, I ran over to Peter and was trying to pull him off Nicola.

“He eventually let go but he was still very aggressive and shouting at her. Nicola was a nervous wreck.” McNaughton denied attacking Barrett, telling the court that she and her pal had made up the events of that night as Nicola had actually been shouting in his face.

But Sheriff Fife saw through McNaughton’s lies, found him guilty of the assault and jailed him for 12 months.

It’s thought McNaughton could be released from prison before Christmas due to good behaviour rules.