A HUSBAND who knocked his wife unconscious after a row over her relationship with another man has been jailed for 18 months.

At Worcester Crown Court, Judge Marten Coates invoked a 12 month suspended sentence imposed in March last year on Mark Bolam, 33, for wounding his wife Nicola and added an extra six months for a guilty plea to assault causing actual bodily harm.

The latest violence blew up at the couple's home in Peregrine Grove, Kidderm-inster, on November 17 last year after the couple had been drinking, said Graham Simpson, prosecuting.

An argument started at 10.30pm after a discussion about Mrs Bolam's previous relationship with another man. Bolam threatened that if he saw them together, he would kill her.

Suddenly, he lunged at his wife, putting both hands round her throat and saying he was going to kill her, said Mr Simpson. He knocked her out with a punch in the face and kicked her in the back.

Defence counsel Andrew Fisher said the couple had known each other for many years but only married in June 1999.

Since then, they had gone through "two years of hell". Although they liked each other, they could not live together peacefully.

Bolam had kicked a drugs habit but was working permanent nights, which added to the tension. He had made two suicide attempts and conceded that his marriage could not continue.