Yellowknife (June 16/03) - A Rae-Edzo man who told his wife he was going to beat her until she died was sentenced to 18 months in jail in Supreme Court on Thursday.

The 35-year-old man pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm and uttering a death threat.

Crown Counsel Scott Niblock told the court the man was celebrating his birthday with his spouse on March 13.

They started to argue and he began to beat her.

He dragged her by the hair to the bedroom, forced her to strip and continued to punch her.

The woman, who was slipping in and out of consciousness, attempted to escape. Again, she was dragged by the hair, punched and then forced into the shower to wash all the blood off her body.

Finally, she escaped to a neighbour's house. When RCMP arrived, a child pointed to blood on the wall and said it was "mommy's" blood.

The woman's injuries included two broken ribs and hemorrhaging. It was a month before the bruising subsided, said Niblock.

Justice Ted Richard told the man "what you did to your wife indicates to me that there is something else wrong" other than a problem with alcohol.