A “dangerous” and remorseless man who started a relationship with a woman while he was still in prison bit her ear and strangled her due to his jealousy.

Reece Waring was serving a four-year prison sentence for robbery when he struck up a relationship with Olivia Harris on Snapchat in July 2023, using a mobile phone he had illegal possession of while in prison.

Ms Harris said Waring was initially “lovely, nice, and kind” to her, and remembered they had known each other when they were younger.

The relationship continued after Waring was released on licence, though Stephen Parker, prosecuting at Preston Crown Court, said the initial 'honeymoon phase' didn’t last.

Waring would question Ms Harris about where she had been when she stayed out late, and would say things like, ‘I can’t believe you’re going out again’.

Reece WaringReece Waring (Image: Lancashire Police/Archive)

That came to a head on April 5 when Ms Harris arrived home at around 1am to find Waring waiting in the alleyway behind her house.

He followed her through the front door and up to her bedroom where he snatched her mobile phone from her hand and began searching through it.

Waring beat himself over the head with the phone in an attempt to break it before snapping the top part of it off.

He then turned his frustration to Ms Harris, dragging her onto the floor and placing his hands around her throat, strangling her on numerous occasions.

Ms Harris said she was unable to breathe for around 10 seconds on one of the occasions and thought she was going to die.

The assault continued, with Waring slapping Ms Harris’ face and punching her in the ribs before going on to bite her ear, which broke the skin and caused it to bleed.

Following this, he held a pen to her neck and threatened to stab her, telling her if she reported what had happened or did anything that led to him going back to prison he would find her and hurt her.

Before leaving the property, he picked up Ms Harris’ purse and took around £15 in cash.

When he left the room, Ms Harris barricaded herself inside the bedroom, but Waring returned and managed to kick down the door, ripping the architrave off.

He pulled her down to the floor again and continued to strangle her before leaving the property for good.

Ms Harris estimated that the assault went on for around half an hour.

Waring, 24, was arrested and stayed silent when interviewed by police.

Preston Crown CourtPreston Crown Court (Image: Archive)

He has eight previous convictions, including a robbery in 2022 in which he held a taxi driver at knifepoint and demanded cash.

Graham Rishton, mitigating, accepted it was a “deeply unpleasant incident” but said Waring is someone “capable of applying himself” who has “a range of abilities.”

Judge Richard Archer, sentencing, said: “I have no doubt at all you are a dangerous young man.

"It’s not necessary for me to expand upon that or seek to justify it. You pose a risk of danger to the public.

“You embarked upon a relationship whilst remarkably you were still in prison using a mobile telephone you had unlawfully.

"It’s a further indication of how you view the laws of this country and whether or not you believe they apply to you.

“You are someone who seeks to control your own destiny and the destiny of others. That culminated in the dreadful events of April 5.

“You display no remorse. You told the author of the pre-sentence report these were pragmatic guilty pleas to get this sentence over with.”

Judge Archer jailed Waring, of Fernlea Close, Blackburn, for two years and eight months, after he admitted to assault, criminal damage and theft.