A MAN who held his virtually blind ex-partner hostage for five hours, sparking an armed police siege, has been jailed for four years.

Police swarmed on Louann Bryan's Oakwood house after reports that Michael Siviter had imprisoned her in her home and he had a gun.

During Ms Bryan's ordeal, Siviter dragged her by the hair and placed a knife to her neck.

A judge yesterday told Siviter that he considered him a danger to the public and that he would be on licence for an extra five years after his four-year sentence had ended.

Armed police held the Oakwood house under siege for almost three hours.

Officers cordoned off Wilmslow Drive and told neighbours to stay indoors and keep away from their windows.

Siviter eventually let Ms Bryan go in the early hours of the morning. She emerged with cuts and bruises.

The court heard Siviter, 36, had twice been arrested in the weeks before the hostage incident for attacks on Ms Bryan and was released on bail.

Police said there had not been enough evidence to charge him at the time.

Siviter was also jailed for four months in 2000 for assaulting Ms Bryan – the mother of his two sons.

The court heard Ms Bryan's terrifying experience began at about 7pm on Sunday, May 23, while her children were in the house.

After he had barged in, Siviter's parents, alerted to the hostage drama, went to the house.

Siviter's father, who was punched in the face by his son, managed to get the children out of the house before police arrived.

Sarah Slater, prosecuting, said Ms Bryan told police they had a turbulent relationship and he was very controlling of her.

She said Ms Bryan having an affair had rocked their relationship. Siviter had threatened to kill himself and had been drinking and taking drugs.

On May 2, he told her "he would kill her and it would be with a bullet", Miss Slater told the court.

The court heard that on this occasion Siviter had taken the battery out of her mobile phone and unplugged the land-line at her home, then held a knife to her neck.

On May 6, he threatened to kill her and removed the voice software from her phone so that she could not use it, said Miss Slater.

Ms Bryan then went to stay at a friend's house and called the police on May 7. Siviter was arrested the following day and released on bail.

The court heard that on May 18 Siviter kicked open Ms Bryan's front door and took away the personal alarm police had given her. He was again arrested and released on bail.

Ms Bryan called the police on May 21 to say Siviter had contacted her, saying: "I told you what I would do if you took the children away – you have not left me any choice".

But she told police she did not want him to be arrested.

Miss Slater said that, on May 23, Siviter had gone round to Ms Bryan's after spending the day drinking.

She said: "He punched her to the face several times and told his son to leave the room. He told her it would all be over as he had a gun. She was very scared."

Siviter had then rung a friend, who heard Ms Bryan crying and a scream.

The friend contacted with Siviter's parents, who went round to Ms Bryan's house. Siviter answered the door and punched his dad in the face.

His mother took Ms Bryan upstairs to clean blood from her face, but Siviter followed them and forced his way into the bedroom.

Armed with a knife, he forced Ms Bryan into the en-suite bathroom and locked the door, ignoring pleas of friends speaking to him on his mobile and police asking him to free her.

It was only after two-and-a-half hours of trained negotiators speaking to him that he let Ms Bryan go.

Police used a stun gun on him after he refused to show his hands.

Siviter, of Chaddesden Lane, Chaddesden, admitted false imprisonment, assault causing actual bodily harm, two charges of common assault and threats to kill.