A THUG grabbed the woman carrying his baby by the throat and threatened to stab her after he found out she was pregnant.

James Lee-Sang was visiting a woman in Westcliff when the Covid-19 pandemic began, resulting in him spending an extended period living with her.

During lockdown, the woman fell pregnant, and the court heard this resulted in Lee-Sang, 30, “behaving strangely”, before the violent incident followed on May 31 - where he armed himself with a kitchen knife.

Lee-Sang was sentenced at Basildon Crown Court yesterday and avoided a spell behind bars.

Judge Ian Graham said: “You were in some sort of relationship with her, sometimes referred to as friends with benefits.The problems began when she was pregnant.

“That wasn’t your plan and you didn’t want a child with her and you behaved in a weird way and threatened to harm yourself and harm her.

“On May 31 you had been drinking heavily and the incident started at 5am where you threw the duvet off the bed and then threw the whole bed over.

“You grabbed her by the neck and applied strong pressure to her neck. As a result she was left with red marks and tenderness.

“You then went to the kitchen and armed yourself with a seven inch kitchen knife and she became scared that you were going to stab her.”

The woman feared that Lee-Sang would not only hurt her but also the baby.

She called the police, who arrived a short while after, and the situation was calmer.

Lee-Sang, of Handel Road, Canvey, was ultimately arrested at the scene.

Earlier this year he admitted assault and making threats to kill.

Mitigating, John Caudle said that Lee-Sang “exploded” and that his actions played out “in a disgusting way” and that he was remorseful.

Judge Graham gave Lee-Sang a suspended sentence of 12 months plus 60 days of rehabilitation, and 150 hours of unpaid work.

Lee-Sang will also be subject to a restraining order, meaning he cannot contact his victim or go to Anerley Road. Judge Graham warned if he committed any further offences within 18 months he would be jailed.