A MONMOUTHSHIRE man has been jailed after threatening to kill his girlfriend with a nail gun.

Ian Rae, aged 32, of Orchid Drive, Caldicot, was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court today for one count of threats to kill, one count of possession of an offensive weapon, one count of threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a public place, assault by beating and driving in excess of alcohol.

He pleaded guilty to all counts at an earlier hearing.

The court heard Rae assaulted his partner of four months Rachel Anderson on July 22 of this year.

Tony Trigg, prosecuting, told the court the couple were arguing in bed when the defendant head butted his girlfriend in the face causing 'pain and shock.'

The court heard the couple then went to a family BBQ on July 24 in Caldicot which then moved to a pub in the town.

Mr Trigg said the defendant started to become 'aggressive and abusive' towards Ms Anderson saying that she was talking too much to his brother.

Mr Trigg said he became 'jealous' and left the pub. When his girlfriend left the pub, Rae is said to have shouted and sworn at her in the car park.

The court heard, in the early hours of the next morning, around 5.30am, Rae contacted his girlfriend accusing him of smashing the windscreen of his van.

He told her 'I'm going to [....] kill you all. I'm coming up there to [....] kill you all.'

At around 6.30am, the defendant arrived in his van outside his girlfriend's home with a crowbar.

The court heard he used the crowbar to hit the front window of the house while threatening them.

Mr Trigg said, Ms Anderson left the house, followed by her sister to reason with the defendant but Rae then got a nail gun from his van and pointed at her shouting 'I'm going to [...] kill you.'

He said: "She said she didn't think he was actually going to shoot her but she did freeze."

After Ms Anderson and her sister went back into the house, the defendant, got behind the wheel of his van and reversed it into a neighbour's wall.

The police were called to search for the defendant and deployed a helicopter. Officers found him later that evening sitting on a wall crying.

Rae was tested for alcohol and results found he was twice the legal drink drive limit as he had 72 micro grams of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

The court heard he has previous convictions of driving in excess of alcohol in 2010.

Jeffrey Jones, defending, said Rae accepted all charges but disputed that it was a 'full blown head butt' as Ms Anderson didn't suffer any swelling or abrasions.

He said the roofer was 'provoked' as his livelihood, his van, had been smashed and pink paint thrown over the bonnet.

He said Rae is remorseful and describes prison as 'the worst experience of his life."

The recorder of Cardiff judge Eleri Rees sentenced Rae to 26 weeks in prison and disqualified him from driving for three years.

The judge also granted a two year restraining order which prohibits Rae from contacting Ms Anderson or being within 100 metres of her home in Caldicot.