A special forces fantasist who tried to suffocate his partner with a plastic bag has been jailed for 11-and-a-half years.

A Bristol jury took less than two hours to find Edward Rudd guilty of attempted murder.

The 37-year-old  had denied he’d tried to kill Cara Bryant, claiming he had placed a bag over her head and then held a pillow to her face as part of an elaborate prank at her Melksham home.

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He told jurors this week that he had heard her cries of “I can’t breathe” – captured on video as she had earlier hit record on her mobile phone camera – but thought it was part of an act on her part.

Rudd, a former company director and a father-of-two, held his head in his hands after the foreperson of the jury delivered the guilty verdict.

He had previously admitted possession of a pepper spray.

New rules mean he must serve at least two-thirds of his 11 years and six months sentence behind bars.