A PUB landlady fled naked from her premises after her former lover threatened to kill her and ripped off her clothing in a violent struggle.

Susan McPhee, licensee of the Old Bear in Stourbridge Road, Kidderminster, had decided to end her eight-year relationship with David Rowe - but he refused to accept it was over.

After heavy drinking, he grabbed a knife from the pub kitchen, jabbed it at her throat and gave the chilling warning: "Perhaps now is the time to die," Worcester Crown Court heard.

Next day, as Miss McPhee was closing the pub at around midnight, Rowe squeezed her neck and told her: "The time has come. You're going to see hell," said Tariq Shakoor, prosecuting.

As she struggled to breathe, he told her he wanted sex for the last time before pulling off her clothing.

But when he went into the pub kitchen to find another knife, Miss McPhee took the opportunity to flee from the pub in the nude and managed to hail a taxi.

Rowe failed to attend court for sentence in June, 2000, said Mr Shakoor. He went on the run for four years and was only arrested after collapsing through excessive drink outside a post office.

He told police that after leaving his accommodation at the pub, he had been living nearby in Cherry Orchard, Kidderminster. There had been no further trouble.

Rowe, 56, admitted two counts of making threats to kill and assault causing actual bodily harm.

Jailing him for 18 months, Judge David McEvoy QC said he had inflicted "a terrible humiliating act" on his victim, forcing her to escape naked on October 4, 1999.

Mr Shakoor said Rowe claimed that Miss McPhee had turned her children against him. At the end of the first incident, he stabbed a tin of tomatoes.

The next day he knocked her to the floor, kicked her in the head and dragged her by the hair. He pushed her across a table, pulled off her clothes and began removing his own clothing.

Mr Shakoor said the victim believed she was going to be raped. Rowe threatened: "Last night it was the tin - tonight it will be your throat."

Miss McPhee heard him rummaging for a knife before escaping in at taxi to a cousin's house.

Rowe had previous convictions for assault and had served a four-year term for wounding.

Nicolas Cartwright, defending, said: "He behaved very badly. He sought help for his drinking but not before it was too late. He couldn't accept his relationship was over."

He said Rowe denied kicks and insisted he only delivered slaps.

He also denied pulling off her clothes.