Island man who choked, confined ex-girlfriend pleads guilty to 6 charges

An Island man who choked his ex-girlfriend and kept her in his homeagainst her will, has pleaded guilty to six criminal chargesincluding assault, forcible confinement and makinga death threat.

The 23-year-old man entered the guilty pleas Wednesday in P.E.I. Supreme Court in Charlottetown.

An agreed statement of facts, read into the court record, outlinedincidents that took place over a year.

On one occasion, the man pinned the woman against a wall and put his hand on her throat. On four occasions, court heard, he would repeatedly cover the woman's mouth and pinch her nose shut.

Assaultwent on for hours

He "began suffocating her for 10- to 15-second intervals preventing her from breathing," according to the agreed statement of facts, and on one occasion "she was disoriented and was near the point of unconsciousness at numerous points throughout the evening. This went on for a period of hours."

The man also took the woman to his home on two occasions and refused to let her leave. One time he tied her hands to a bathroom rail. Another time he told her she'd never leave him because he'd kill her first.

Last September, following one of the incidents, the woman refused to testify against the manin court. A victim services worker at the time noticed the woman was covered in bruises.

The facts presented in court Wednesday also told something ofthe man's mental state during some of the incidents, describing how he "became enraged" and another time, had "a blackout of anger."

Man remains in custody

After entering guilty pleas, the man consented to stay in custody.He's been in jail since March.

CBC News is not naming the man to protect the victim. The court has imposed a publication ban on her identity.

The man willreturn to P.E.I. Supreme Court Dec.6 for sentencing.

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