Magistrate Claire Girotto labelled Leslie Boyden's behaviour on the night of November 29 last year was "one of the worst" examples of intimidation she'd seen during her time on the bench.

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"These are extremely serious intimidation matters," she said.

"I can imagine how frightened the victim would have been."

A set of agreed facts tendered to Wollongong Local Court said Boyden and the woman had been in an on/off relationship for five years but were living together in a shed in Berkeley in October when Boyden choked her until she passed out.

A month later, Boyden had been drinking with a friend inside the shed when he flew into a fit of rage and began yelling and screaming at the victim

He then fetched a 1.25L Coke bottle containing petrol, poured it all over their bed and pushed his partner into the liquid mess, punching her in the face and calling her derogatory names.

He then held the Coke bottle in one hand and a cigarette lighter in the other and threatened to set it alight.

Boyden's friend told him "don't do it bro" and tried to wrestle the lighter from him.

The victim, with her clothing now covered in petrol, fled the property and went to her mother's address.

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Police arrived a short time later and obtained a statement from the woman.

They then went to the Berkeley home and arrested Boyden, noting the shed smelt strongly of petrol.

Boyden was taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station and charged with assault, property damage and intimidation offences, to which he subsequently pleaded guilty.

In a sentencing hearing in Wollongong Local Court last week, defence lawyer Ben Hart said Boyden had had an underprivileged childhood, including leaving school at 13 and being physically abused by his father.

He said Boyden had been abusing drugs and alcohol at the time of the incident.

"He tells me he'd had two points of ice and a bottle of Wild Turkey that day and had been awake for two weeks," Mr Hart said.

"The [psychological report] says he's a nice, calm, stable man but for this - the only explanation is drugs and alcohol," he said.

But Magistrate Girotto noted research had shown choking was a prelude "to much worse things".

"The psychological report says he's a high risk of reoffending," she said.

She sentenced Boyden to an overall jail term of three years, with a non-parole period of 20 months.

With time served, Boyden will be paroled in July 2021.