Abuser who 'tortured' partner for years jailed
Northumbria PoliceA domestic abuser who subjected his partner to more than a decade of "torture" has been jailed for three and a half years.
Colin Williams, 43, regularly attacked the woman and made threats against her family, controlled her money and strangled her, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
The victim said she had been with him since she was 16 and thought his actions were born out of love, but now saw she had been broken by him.
Williams, from South Shields, who had previously been jailed for attacks on her and breached multiple restraining orders, admitted coercive and controlling behaviour.
Things came to a head in July last year when the woman disclosed to police Williams had strangled her during an argument over money, Recorder James Wood KC said.
The judge said the relationship had been "toxic" for years and Williams had subjected his partner to "significant mental and physical abuse".
During previous attacks, Williams had talked about going "too far" with his violence and described to the woman how he would hide her body and tell her mother she had simply gone away, the court heard.
'Unsavoury and awful'
Williams, of Beattie Street, would not let the woman watch their TV because he claimed she had not paid for it and had all of her benefits put into his bank account, the court heard.
She was not allowed a mobile phone and if she went out he would berate her for taking too long, the judge said.
Williams also made threats to stab the woman's relatives and put a car through their house, the court heard.
The woman said she had thought she was in love and the way Williams treated her was "normal", but "grew up" and realised she had been subjected to years of "abuse and mental torture".
She said he made her feel worthless and she did "not want to live anymore", adding: "He broke me and I am struggling to find myself after he destroyed my self-confidence."
Recorder Woods said Williams' "unsavoury and awful" behaviour had lasted more than a decade and showed a "pattern of violence, psychological manipulation and financial control".
Williams, who had 29 convictions for 81 offences including attacks on the woman and breaching restraining orders, was made subject to a new order banning him from contacting her indefinitely.