A former Felixstowe man has been jailed after throttling a woman during an attempted rape before dumping his unconscious victim in a field.

Jason Croker was given nine years’ imprisonment at Warwick Crown Court.

The 38-year-old had pleaded not guilty to attempted rape, but was convicted after a trial.

Croker came to Suffolk to pick the woman up on the pretext of getting her to help him move some of his property to the Midlands.

Croker had moved from Felixstowe to Redditch, near Birmingham.

In May 2013 he caught a train from Redditch to Stowmarket where he picked up a van from a family member.

He then drove to the Ipswich area to collect the woman.

They headed north stopping off in Finningham before carrying on their journey on the A14 and pulling in at a service station at Newmarket on the way.

Croker was said to have been evasive when asked about where his property was stored and told the woman not to be concerned. He also said he would drop her home after they had finished moving his property.

However, Croker ended up driving to a country lane near Claverdon, close to Stratford. He parked his van in a field where he told the woman he wanted sex.

During the ensuing assault she punched him in the head but he overpowered her.

Croker sexually assaulted her and grabbed her around the throat. The woman blacked out due to Croker throttling her.

He then dumped her in a field and drove off.

When the woman regained consciousness she was in the field. She managed to get to a road where she flagged down a motorist.

Police were alerted and the woman was taken to hospital.

In a police interview Croker denied attacking the woman and said he had dropped her unharmed off somewhere near Stratford.

Following his conviction Croker was made subject to the requirements of the Sexual Offences Act.

He was told this would mean he would have to sign the sex offenders’ register and stay on it for life.