Telford strangler gets jail term cut by judges
A man who subjected his victim to her "scariest, most frightening" experience has had his jail term cut by Appeal Court judges.
In April last year, Jason Graham Langford, 39, "lost his temper" and began to assault a woman by violently grabbing her neck with his hands and squeezing.
He had admitted a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The case was outlined at an appeal hearing yesterday before Judge Richard Griffith-Jones at London's Appeal Court.
The Appeal Court heard that the female victim feared she was being strangled during the attack.
The court heard that when she screamed Langford spat in her face.
He continued his attack by squeezing her neck again so hard that she was unable to speak or call for help.
When he grabbed her neck a third time she thought she would lose consciousness and feared she was being strangled.
She managed to push him away with her legs and eventually was able to call 999 to summon help from West Mercia Police officers.
Officers arrested Langford for the attack leading to the initial court case which was heard at Shrewsbury Crown Court.
The Appeal Court was told that the victim was traumatised by the attack.
She described her ordeal as "the scariest, most frightening thing that has ever happened to me".
The sentencing judge described it as a "sustained and repeated assault".
Langford had two previous convictions for common assault, the court heard.
Two months of his jail term was for breaching a suspended sentence.
But at the appeal hearing Paul Smith, representing Langford, argued his sentence was far too tough for the crime committed and ought to be reduced by the Appeal Court.
Judge Griffith-Jones said the attack was serious and that Langford was jailed on the basis "he intended to commit more serious harm" than his victim actually suffered.
His actions had been "very dangerous and very frightening", added the judge, who was sitting with Lord Justice Treacy and Mr Justice Gilbart.
But he agreed to cut the sentence given to Langford by Shrewsbury Crown Court, saying it was "manifestly excessive in all the circumstances".
Langford's jail term was reduced from three years to two years and two months.
