A bricklayer has been jailed after punching and then dragging his wife out of their car by her hair and leaving her groaning in agony by the side of the road in Woodlands in Chelmondiston.

Ipswich Crown Court heard a passing motorist stopped in Woodlands in the village to help the woman and found her husband Mark Manning, standing over her, at around 7.45, on December 4, last year.

Mitchell Cohen, prosecuting, described how Manning, aged 60, and his wife of 40 years had been driving back from the Shipwreck pub in Shotley and during the journey had asked his wife for a kiss.

Although she did kiss him Manning felt it was without enthusiasm and accused her of having an affair. He told her to get out of the car. She refused and so he pulled her out by her hair, punched her in the face and head, and kicked her in the ribs.

Manning from Elmcroft Road, Ipswich, was found to be twice the drink drive limit, after police and an ambulance arrived.

The court heard that the woman was groaning in pain and when the driver of the car and his two sons approached they heard Manning say in a quiet voice: "I'm going to kill her."

Mr Cohen said Manning's wife wanted their relationship to continue and didn't want the court to make a restraining order.

Manning was jailed for 20 months and banned from driving for 46 months, after admitting assault causing actual bodily harm, making a threat to kill, drink driving, drink while disqualified and having an offensive weapon.

Sentencing him, Judge Martyn Levett said Manning had believed his wife was having an affair at the time of the attack.

Peter Spary, mitigating for Manning, said his client was described by his family as a "wonderful man" and the "lynchpin" of the family.

In recent years he'd had an increasing problem with alcohol but since the attack he'd decided to stop drinking.

The court heard the wife still wanted to be with Manning and asked that a restraining order was not made. Mr Spary added that Manning was ashamed of what he'd done and wanted to make amends to his wife and family.