A brave Haverfordwest woman woke "in every woman's nightmare" to find a stranger standing over her holding a knife, a crown court heard.

But Nicola Mcnaughton, aged 23, fought back and even grabbed the blade of the five inch kitchen knife being held by Romanian Bodgan-Sebastian Stroie.

Stroie, aged 37, was jailed for four-and-a-half years today (Friday) after he admitted burglary, assault causing causing actual bodily harm and threatening to kill Miss Mcnaughton.

Ian Wright, prosecuting, told Swansea crown court how she went to bed at her home in Quay Street early on April 2.

About 6am she woke to see Stroie leaning over her and holding the knife.

"She jumped up and tried to defend herself. But every time she threw a punch, but missed, Stroie delivered a punch that landed on her face while holding the knife in his other hand."

Miss Mcnaughton grabbed the knife by the blade, cutting her hand.

Stroie then threatened to kill her and in a bid to quieten him down she told him her name was Louise.

Worringly, said Mr Wright, Stroie told her he knew that was not true because he had seen her passport.

Stroie eventually left the flat, but told Miss Mcnaughton "half an hour," which she took as an instruction not to raise the alarm for 30 minutes.

But she gave him only five before running out and flagging down taxi driver Andrew James.

He offered to drive her to a police station but she insisted on being taken to her mother's home, where she collapsed on the doorstep.

Police studied CCTV footage of the area around Quay Street and identified several suspects.

One was Stroie - and in just 24 hours an officer spotted him on the streets of Haverfordwest and arrested him.

He refused to answer police questions but officers recovered the knife - and found Miss Mcnaughton's DNA on the blade and his on the handle.

The court heard in a victim impact statement that Miss Mcnaughton had been so traumatised by the episode that she had never stepped foot in the flat since, apart from when she had been accompanied by a police officer.

She had even had her bed and bedding disposed of because she felt it was tainted.

Mr Wright said that Stroie, a carer, of Ferry Road, Houghton , had served prison sentences in Italy for robbery and assault causing serious harm.

Stroie's barrister said the only thing he could offer was that at least he had entered guilty pleas.

Judge Geraint Walters said the case was "hugely and terrifyingly disturbing."

"It must be every woman's worst nightmare to wake up and find a man holding a knife over her," he added.

Judge Walters said the "terrifying and sustained ordeal" inflicted by Stroie had had a profound effect on his victim.