A NEW Quay man who strangled his partner will seek counselling, with his solicitor saying the couple consider that “from crisis comes opportunity”.

Samer Liam Kurdi, 28, told police that he had grabbed Katie Leigh Jones around the throat as an argument between the two “escalated”.

Kurdi pleaded guilty to assault as well as a charge of criminal damage after he accepted that he had damaged Ms Jones’ phone by throwing it against a wall.

Prosecutor Tracey Willingham said police were called at around 9.40pm by Ms Jones, who said that she had been strangled by Kurdi.

She said the couple had been arguing and he had thrown her phone against a wall, smashing the screen, before he grabbed her around the neck and pushed her up against a wall.

However, Ms Jones said the incident was “out of character”, and said she had not suffered an injury in the incident. Ms Jones insisted she did not want Kurdi to face charges.

Kurdi, however, admitted the offences to police, telling officers that he had put one hand on the back of her neck and the other hand on the front of her neck.

He said the couple had been arguing and Ms Jones had grabbed his phone and thrown it, so he did the same to her phone.

Kurdi said Ms Jones had been shouting abuse and scratching him and he had grabbed her around the neck for two or three seconds.

Defence solicitor David Williams said Kurdi had admitted what had happened to police.

Mr Williams said: “There is an element of tit for tat with it.

“She took his mobile phone and threw it against the wall. His response, and he accepts it was the wrong response, was to throw her phone against the wall.”

Magistrates heard that Mr Williams questioned whether the incident should be classed as strangulation as it was “a grabbing for two or three seconds during the course of an argument which had escalated”.

Mr Williams said the couple were staying together and that they would seek counselling as a couple, with Kurdi also prepared to undergo counselling. He added: “For them it is now a starting point. From crisis comes opportunity.”

Kurdi was given a conditional discharge for a year, but will have to pay costs of £105.