A man convicted of assaulting his ex-girlfriend after their love turned sour had his six-month prison sentence suspended in the Supreme Court.

Chief Justice Richard Ground on Monday said he would uphold the original sentence ? which Eldon Raynor Jr. was appealing ? but, because Raynor was "taking positive steps to solve his problems", it would be suspended.

Raynor, 38, of Bow Lane, Southampton, pleaded guilty to unlawful assault and breaching a domestic protection order in Magistrates' Court on May 18 of this year.

Two days before he appeared in court, the protection order had been put in place saying Raynor could not abuse or threaten his ex-girlfriend Yvonne Cooper.

But the next day the two clashed and Raynor swore at Ms Cooper and chased her with a metal pole.

Dropping the pole, he chased her into her mother's kitchen where he grabbed her neck and began to choke her.

Ms Cooper eventually escaped from the house.

On sentencing Raynor, Acting Magistrate Magistrate Mark Pettingill called his actions "reprehensible" and ordered anger management and psychological counselling.

But on Monday, Raynor's attorney Elizabeth Christopher said, since July 9 when her client was released on bail, he has avoided conflict with Ms Cooper.

She said he has paid nursery school fees for and wishes to "establish a regular relationship with his daughter".

She also said Raynor has been attending counselling sessions at the Physical Abuse Centre, where a counsellor said he was "very honest" and was "learning skills to control his anger".

But Crown counsel Wayne Caines said the Magistrate took all of these "personal circumstances" into account when he sentenced Raynor to six months rather than the maximum sentence of one year.

Mr. Justice Ground elected to suspend the sentence but warned Raynor it could be reinstated.

"If in the next two years you commit any offence, you will be sent back to prison to serve out the rest of this sentence," he said.