A Swindon man who subjected his girlfriend to multiple assaults and forced her to sleep on a small sofa while he used her bed has been jailed.
Lee Griffiths, 43, of Milton Road, Swindon, was sentenced to four years imprisonment at Swindon Crown Court last week after he pleaded guilty to several counts of grievous bodily harm just one month before the case was due to go before a jury.
Griffiths launched multiple assaults on his partner, isolating her from friends, family and organisations that could assist her. In September last year, he twisted her arm for a prolonged period until it snapped leaving her with her arm in a sling for four months.
Three months later he punched and stamped on her face whilst wearing shoes, causing severe bruising and a broken nose.
When his victim attempted to call 999 on one occasion, he was heard making threats to kill her in the background of the call. He also repeated the threats to kill her in front of officers. He made threats to set fire to her house, as well as the homes of her family, leaving her feeling fearful in a place she should have felt safe.
As well as four years imprisonment, an indefinite restraining order was granted by the judge when Griffiths appeared in court on August 12.
DC Lily Cockerill said: “As the judge described in court, Griffiths was responsible for a terrifying series of assaults and threats towards his own partner who he should have loved and cared for – instead, she suffered for two years of her life.
“Griffiths isolated his partner from support agencies who could have helped her escape his abuse, and instead continued to be violent and threatening, leaving his victim with broken bones and feeling isolated, frightened and worthless.
“After breaking his partner’s arm, he stopped her from sleeping in her own bed and instead made her sleep on a small sofa, while he enjoyed the comfort of her bed. This type of controlling and violent behaviour is completely shocking and will not be tolerated within our community.
“I hope this sentence sends a clear message to the public that we are committed to putting perpetrators in front of the courts so justice can be served.
“Finally, I would like to commend the victim for finding the strength to stand up to her partner and seek help from the police. I am really pleased that following hard work by Community Policing Team officers, she felt strong enough to see the case through the court process and while I understand she will no doubt continue to feel traumatised by Griffiths’ actions for a long time to come, I hope this court result helps her to recover in some way from her terrifying ordeal.”
