A man who tortured a woman for ten hours has been jailed for over two decades.
Tommy Hitt, 46, held his victim against her will in his home near Warminster – subjecting her to a horrifying involving repeated assaults, sexual violence and threats to kill.
Over the course of a night on 21 February, the defendant strangled and beat the woman, sexually assaulted her and made threats to kill her.
He even shaved her head in in an attack described by police as “degrading and brutal”. The victim was eventually able to escape and raise the alarm.
Hitt previously pleaded guilty to intentional strangulation, false imprisonment, grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of assault by penetration, threats to kill, two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, criminal damage, and possession of cannabis.
The court heard how the woman suffered permanent injuries to her eyes, teeth and arm, as well as lasting psychological trauma.
In a powerful victim impact statement, she said: “I can’t get the words he said to me out of my head, about killing me.
“I can’t walk down the road without looking over my shoulder. Everything has changed.
“He beat me up for about nine and a half hours. If I hadn’t managed to get away he would have killed me. He told me that I had to ring my mum to say goodbye and for her to say goodbye to me because he was going to kill me. I was dying that night. I keep hearing those words.
“He is now in prison where he belongs and can not do this to anybody else.”
Hitt previously pleaded guilty to intentional strangulation, false imprisonment, grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of assault by penetration, threats to kill, two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, criminal damage, and possession of cannabis.
At Winchester Crown Court on 13 June, the defendant – of Springhead, Sutton Veny, near Warminster, was jailed for 21 years and six months.
Detective Constable James Gatherum said: “In the late evening of 21st February 2025, Wiltshire Police received a 999 call to an address in Shaw. A woman answered the door with significant and very pronounced injuries. This was the beginning of the end of a 10-hour ordeal at the hands of Tommy Hitt.
“The victim was kept at an address against her will, with her mobile phone deliberately damaged by him.
“Hitt strangled her and assaulted her with such force that he fractured her eye socket, leaving her with extensive significant bruising and swelling. She has lasting damage to both her retinas and lost a number of teeth.
“The victim was also sexually assaulted twice during those 10 hours, with threats being made by Hitt that he would kill her. To add further degradation to the victim, Hitt forcibly shaved her hair off.
“He then drove her to another location, and while doing so, repeatedly assaulted her within the vehicle. Fortunately, with quick thinking, the victim managed to escape, where she was able to raise the alarm.
“I would like to thank her for her incredible bravery in reporting the offences to the police, staying on board throughout the criminal justice process and speaking of her traumatic experience.
“If anyone finds themselves subject to behaviour like this, then please contact us – you will be listened to and you will be supported.”
In addition to the prison sentence, Hitt was ordered to pay a £228 surcharge and was made the subject of an indefinite restraining order.
