A P.E.I. man was sentenced Tuesday to 90 days in jail in addition to 45 he already served for trying to strangle his girlfriend.

The man was already on probation for a nearly identical assault on the woman last fall.

Forty-three-year-old Ronald Craig Hughes had his hands around his girlfriend's throat when police arrived at the woman's Charlottetown apartment July 21. Parts of her victim impact statement were read in court during the sentencing hearing. According to that statement, she thought she was going to die.

Hughes was arrested the night of the attack and has been in custody ever since.

Chief provincial court Judge John Douglas said the fact that Hughes was already on probation for attacking the woman makes this assault even more serious.

A probation officer told court Hughes has alcohol and drug problems, but he had failed to comply with a court order, issued after the attack last fall, ordering him to get treatment for his addictions.

Hughes pleaded guilty to the attack at a court appearance last month. His criminal record includes assaults against previous girlfriends, dating back 15 years.

Hughes now has five convictions for assaults against women. He has been ordered to provide a sample of his DNA for the national data bank.