AN ESTRANGED husband smashed his way into his wife's home and attacked her as she lay in bed with their children.

Elyas Saddique became furious when she would not let him into her home in the early hours of the morning and so kicked the back door in and repeatedly punched her in the face.

At Bolton Crown Court 47-year-old Saddique was jailed for two years and three months with the Honorary Recorder of Bolton, Judge Timothy Clayson, telling him he did not believe claims of remorse were "fully genuine".

David Lees, prosecuting, told how Saddique married his wife in 2009 and they have three children, aged between seven years and 18 months.

But they separated in 2015 and Saddique moved out of the family home and went to live with his sister.

Mr Lees said that on February 23 at 4pm Saddique turned up at her house acting strangely and claiming someone was hiding in the property.

Police were called and, after searching the house, confirmed there was no one there and Saddique left.

But he returned at 3am the following morning whilst the children were asleep in bed with their mother.

He banged on the window demanding to be let in and when she refused he went to the back of the house and kicked the door in before heading upstairs to the bedroom.

"He threw her [his ex-wife] out of the bed and punched her several times in the head," said Mr Lees.

He went downstairs but then returned to the room where he tried to strangle her.

"She could smell drugs," said Mr Lees.

The victim managed to get downstairs where she started to ring police, but Saddique followed her, grabbing the phone from her hand and breaking it before punching her in the head again.

Believing the police were on their way he ran off, but handed himself in two days later.

"He blamed the complainant for trying to stitch him up and claimed he had been at his sister's," said Mr Lees.

But on the day of his trial last month Saddique, of Howcroft Close, Bolton, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm and two counts of criminal damage.

The court heard he has served previous prison sentences including two for street robberies of elderly women.

Kimberley Morton, defending, said Saddique is remorseful and hopes to rekindle the relationship.

"The defendant is extremely sorry about the impact it [his actions] have had on his children," she said.

"He wants to make recompense for what happened."

She added that, in jail, he has undertaken courses in anger management and has tested negative for drugs.

Judge Clayson told Saddique: "This was a sustained assault with significant injuries.

"Your wife was, at the time, rather vulnerable because she was in her own home looking after the children.

"It was her home and she was entitled to feel safe in it."

The judge also made a restraining order banning Saddique from contacting his victim.