A man "lost his temper" after finding out someone had followed his girlfriend on Instagram.
Leon Smythe, 23, of no fixed abode, appeared before Liverpool Crown Court on Monday following coercive behaviour against his now ex-partner. The pair met on a night out and had been in a relationship at the time since November 2021.
Prosecuting Cheryl Mottram told the court that Smythe had stayed over at his ex-partner's home and "never left" as he gradually moved in his belongings. But the court heard that "from the start, he was violent".
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Ms Mottram said on the second day of their relationship, Smythe had been "violent", but the victim thought it was "a one off", however, throughout the course of their relationship he would be "abusive every day" and call her names like "fat slag" or "c**t".
The court heard how the woman "became numb to the language" as Smythe would also often call her young son a "d******d". The 23-year-old would often "control who she saw" and "even threatened to put a tracker in her car".
Ms Mottram added that over Christmas that year, Smythe "lost his temper" and smashed the vacuum cleaner after he found a man was following his now ex-partner on Instagram. On another occasion, she was called a "slag" for speaking to someone in Liverpool about the rising gas prices.
The court was told that on March 10, the woman suffered bruising on her feet and a bite mark to her arm and she even gave up her job as a carer after consistently being told she "wasn't allowed to go to work dressed as she was."
On April 3, while the woman was putting away the washing, Smythe was said to have been lying in bed saying he "was sick of her" before he hit her across the head, "striking her head on the floor, calling her a tramp". Ms Mottram added: "He threatened to throw her father's ashes around the house".
In a victim personal statement, read out to the court, the woman said she has been having "constant nightmares" which include being chased and having her "eye balls pulled out". Working in the community, she said she is always "looking over her shoulder as she added: "I shouldn't have to feel like this.
"Leon continued to torment me for a long time and I want it to stop."
Smythe, who was also in breach of a previous suspended sentence, was said to have found himself in a "precarious position". Defence Counsel Mr Ross said: "He has arguably not understood as fully as he could have, the impact his actions can have on someone else until it's too late."
He added: "He wishes to make it clear to the court he regrets all of his actions and apologises for his behaviour."
The court heard since April 2022, there has been no contact between Smythe and his now ex partner and he has "remained largely out of trouble".
Mr Ross said: "He is, as a young man, understanding now he is currently at a cross road in his life. He faces a choice as to whether he wants to continue appearing before this court in the dock, or whether he wants to move on with his life."
Smythe, who has a new partner who supported him in court today, has recently been a "victim of significant injuries" which left him with a fractured skull and crutches after he was hit on the head with a metal bar. The court heard how he was previously helping with his mum's care on a daily basis when he was healthy and now struggles with his mental and physical health.
Smythe was sentenced to 28 months imprisonment a restraining order was made.
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