A MAN who went to a former girlfriend's house and tried to rape her has been jailed.

Mark Nee, 33, told the woman 'you are either going to give it to me or I am going to take it', as he launched the terrifying attack in the middle of the night.

Nee had been drinking heavily when he sent his victim a series of text messages telling her he was on his way round to have sex with her.

And when he arrived at her house in the early hours she only opened the door because she didn't think he would attack her and she feared he would wake the neighbours.

But once he got inside he attacked the woman, chasing her upstairs as he tried to force himself on her.

Mark Worsley, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court that the defendant and his victim had been in a relationship in the past.

He said during the evening of Friday, July 3, he had been in the pub all day, drinking heavily, and became thoroughly drunk.

During the early hours of the morning he sent her sexually explicit messages, as he had when they were together, saying he was on his way to have his way with her.

In one he told her she did not have a choice, but she replied that she did and the answer was 'no'.

Mr Worsley said at about 2.30am she heard loud hammering on her door and as she had two children sleeping in the house and was worried for the neighbours she answered it.

After bursting in he pushed her against the wall and said they were going to have sex and pulled at her top.

She ran upstairs with him in pursuit and when he got to the bedroom he dropped his trousers.

"He kneeled astride her and despite her saying 'no' he said 'you are either going to give it to me or I am going to take it'," he said.

She managed to get away from him and after a scuffle got her phone and called the police who raced to the scene and arrested him.

Nee, of Caulfield Road, Gorse Hill, admitted two counts of sexual assault and committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence, namely rape.

Alex Daymond, defending, said his client had been married twice before and had children with both women, who each wrote references for him.

"He is a man who is thought of fairly highly by his wife and ex-partner, who works, and has acted out of character because he was in drink and depressed at the time," said Mr Daymond.

And the court was told that despite making the complaint to the police the victim of the attack also spoke highly of him, saying he needed help.

Mr Daymond said Nee suffered from depression, which has led to him being signed off work from his job at a furniture company, and led to bouts of heavy driving.

Jailing Nee for two years and eight months, Judge Peter Blair QC said: "This was a perfectly disgraceful bit of behaviour which shockingly took place in the middle of the night.

"Your barrister has accepted there is no alternative to me but to send you to prison today for such serious offending."

He told him he must also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.