A controlling and abusive thug beat his girlfriend and checked her naked body for 'signs of other men' in a horrific campaign of abuse.
Paul Thorburn, 38, was found guilty of section 47 assault and controlling and coercive behaviour at a trial after his victim bravely reported him to the police.
After officers conducted initial enquiries, it was established that the victim had been involved in an abusive domestic relationship with Thorburn who, during the course of their year-long relationship, subjected her to physical, mental, and emotional abuse between November 2020 and November 2021.
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On one occasion, after Thorburn had been drinking and his partner had been given a lift home from work, he began to check her naked body to see if she had been intimate with someone else. This is something he went on to do on many other occasions.
On another occasion, he woke his partner up in the middle of the night to argue about a previous ex. The court heard he became increasingly violent towards her and gripped her by the throat. He covered her mouth and nose throughout the assault so she couldn’t scream or breathe.
The victim desperately attempted to flee the apartment, but he grabbed her and pulled her back, causing her to hit her head on the stairs.
She eventually escaped, wearing just her underwear and a coat and sought the aid of a neighbour, who phoned the police. The court heard how the injuries she received from this assault left a footprint on her back.
In an attempt to capture the victim’s distress and to humiliate her at a later date, Thorburn then videoed parts of this incident on his mobile phone where he was seen deliberately goading and mocking her.
Over the course of the relationship, Minshull Street Crown Court was told that he also took control of her social media, isolated her from socialising, degraded her and was regularly violent, even kicking her in public.
Prosecuting, Mr Benjamin Lawrence told the court that the victim now 'spends most of her time indoors and not socialising' following the ordeal. In a victim impact statement, she said she has 'completely lost myself' and now struggles with anxiety and depression.
The court was told Thorburn, of Chesham Avenue, Rochdale, had a number of previous convictions, including for robbery and affray.
He was found guilty by a jury at trial for coercive and controlling behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was sentenced on May 3.
Defending, Mr Mark Friend said that Thorburn had a property and a job to go back to upon his release as steps to help him 'move on with his life' and that he has 'made some progress' in his time on remand.
Sentencing Thorburn to four years imprisonment, for which he must serve at least half behind bars, and imposing an indefinite restraining order to protect the victim, Recorder Abigail Hudson said: "You and the victim were in a toxic relationship characterised by your jealousy and distrust of her.
"What you did during that relationship was appalling. You checked her naked body for signs of other men, grabbed her by the throat and called her mysongisic names. The violence became regular and you would kick her in public, not caring if others saw.
"If she left you would track her down. You took control of social media and would degrade her, calling her a sl** and accusing her of cheating. You gradually isolated her, making any attempt to have a social life so unpleasant that she gave up.
"You manipulated her bank account and you would threaten to kill her and yourself. On one occasion you went so far as to hold a knife to her side. She must have been extremely afraid.
"You are a man capable of treating another human being like that. You used numerous methods of control over a prolonged period.
"She was in fear of violence throughout and you have clearly left her with significant psychological injury.
"Her actions did not cause her abuse, your attitudes towards women did. I consider that you remain a significant risk of further domestic violence in future relationships."
Detective Constable Russ Clarke of GMP Rochdale division said: “I would firstly like to commend the bravery of the victim in this case and the strength she has shown throughout this investigation. Thorburn showed no remorse for his deplorable actions. Despite damning evidence, he took no responsibility, ensuring that the victim had to attend court and endure the traumatic act of reliving what he had done to her.
“Having violently attacked the victim, Thorburn set his phone to record in order to capture her distress. Despite recording, he couldn’t control himself and went on to commit further acts of violence whilst seeking to humiliate and degrade the victim.
“Some of the other behaviours displayed by Thorburn included checking the victim’s phone, referring to her using derogatory names, controlling her finances and social media accounts, threatening to kill her or himself if she left him, threatening to disclose private photographs, and changing his job so he worked where she worked.
“The behaviours displayed by Thorburn within the relationship are deeply concerning and indicate he poses a significant risk to women with his need to control and coerce through violence and psychological abuse. This behaviour will not be tolerated in Greater Manchester, and anyone found behaving this way will be the subject of a thorough and rigorous investigation.”
“If you are a victim of domestic abuse, know someone who is or has been affected by domestic abuse or violence, we can support you. We would urge those who are being domestically abused in any form to contact us directly. GMP can also put you in touch with other support organisations that understand your specific needs. Do not suffer in silence, you are not alone.”
To report Domestic Abuse to Greater Manchester Police, please call 101 or report using the online reporting tool on the website: www.gmp.police.uk
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