A MAN who attacked his estranged wife and her friend with a kebab after she dumped him has had his jail term cut on appeal.

Colin Andrew Young, 36, was dropped by his then wife after slapping her during an argument.

He then embarked on a sinister campaign of harassment and threats to kill - interspersed with romantic gestures and pleas for her to take him back.

Young, of North Road, Darlington, was jailed for 18 months at Teesside Crown Court in June, having pleaded guilty to two common assaults, one count of criminal damage and one of putting a person in fear of violence by harassment.

However, Lord Justice Davis, Mrs Justice Thirlwall and Mrs Justice Andrews, sitting at London's Criminal Appeal Court, have now cut that to 16 months.

The court heard that Young went off the rails when his wife left him after he slapped her in July last year.

On one occasion, while she was enjoying a night out with a friend, he approached them shouting insults and "threw a kebab and salad over the friend."

He also sent his ex up to 30 texts-a-day, mixing up threats and insults and pleas for them to get back together.

His behaviour escalated, ending in him kicking her door down and threatening to slit her throat. However, shortly afterwards, he sent her bunches of flowers.

Mrs Justice Andrews condemned the "sinister combination of flowers and threats to kill" and Young's attempts to "emotionally manipulate" his ex wife.

But she went on to allow his appeal, after accepting that he ought to have been given more credit for pleading guilty.

"Domestic violence will always be treated very seriously", said the judge.

"However it is argued that the judge erred in not allowing the full discount of 33 per cent for pleading guilty and in that we concur."