Man jailed for 'intentional strangulation' of woman in Tisbury

51 year old Matthew Ponchaud also admitted assault and drink driving

Author: Faye TryhornPublished 16th Aug 2023

A man's been handed an 18 month prison term for the intentional strangulation and assault of a woman in Tisbury and drink driving in Hindon.

51 year old Matthew Ponchaud from Bournemouth has been handed his sentence at Salisbury Crown Court.

Ponchaud pleaded guilty to the assault charges, in connection with an incident in Tisbury in November last year.

Afterwards, he made several phone calls to his victim, breaching bail condition, and in January this year, threatened to kill her if she didn't drop the charges.

Local Crime Investigator for Wiltshire Police Martin Batchelor said:

“I want to pay tribute to Ponchaud’s victim who despite intimidation continued to bravely speak to us about what had happened so that we were able to bring him to justice.

“We would always urge anyone who has been the victim of abuse, no matter when the offences occurred, to come forward and speak to police. We have specially-trained teams to investigate these types of crimes and we will deal with your report sensitively.”

Ponchaud was given a 12 month sentence for intentional strangulation and assault and ordered to pay a £187 surcharge.

He was also given a restraining order not to contact his victim with a further two months in prison to run concurrently.

Ponchaud was also stopped by Wiltshire Police on the High Street in Hindon on March 7th and blew 74 at the roadside - the legal limit is 35.

He was arrested for drink driving and has been sentenced to 6 months, ordered to pat a £187 surcharge and disqualified from driving for 27 months.

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