A MAN showed a woman a knife in his jacket to scare her into coming back to his home before assaulting her.

Lewis Dearden, 28, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and two counts of possessing a bladed article.

On February 1, the victim visited Dearden's home, in Lime Grove, Ramsbottom, where he lived with his grandparents, according to prosecution barrister Sarah Johnston at Bolton Crown Court.

The pair were drinking alcohol and taking cocaine and ended up arguing.

Dearden then demanded sex and took hold of the woman's hair, pulling so hard that hair came out of her scalp.

He then pushed her on the sofa and dragged the sofa in front of the door to stop her from leaving. After ripping at the waistband of her jeans, the woman eventually got into bed in tears and submitted to Dearden.

The next day when she tried to leave, Dearden chased her down the street, picked her up and carried her back into the house. Eventually his grandfather rang a taxi to come and pick the woman up.

On February 19, the woman was in a pub, where she had been charging her mobile phone behind the bar.

Dearden took the phone and left the pub. When the woman followed and asked for her phone back, Dearden opened his jacket to show a knife, and told the woman: "You're coming back to my house".

Fearful of what he may do if she did not, the woman went back to Dearden's house.

When she asked to leave, Dearden grabbed her neck from behind with two hands and pushed her to the sofa. Dearden then punched her to the right side of the mouth when she tried to get up.

On March 10, Dearden attended a house party that the victim was also at.

She left and he followed her down the street. Witnesses saw him take a machete out of its sheath and they called the police. When police arrived, the machete had been put a way but they found it in a bag that Dearden was carrying.

In the victim personal statement, the woman described herself as "scared", "stressed" and "scared.

Defending, Iain Johnstone said that Dearden has already been in custody for just short of six months.

Mr Johnstone said:"He fully accepts his behaviour and knows it was wholly inappropriate. He has expressed a desire for chance. Most of the offences were fuelled by alcohol and drugs and he wants to get away from that."

Judge Graeme Smith sentenced Dearden to 16 months imprisonment but opted to suspend the sentence for 18 months.

He ordered Dearden to complete a Building Better Relationships course and a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

Judge Smith said: "I need to balance various factors - the concoction of offences against the possibility of rehabilitation. If I leave you in custody for two more months, that rehabilitation will not be achieved."

Dearden was also given a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim for five years.