A man has been given a suspended prison sentence after subjecting his girlfriend to a series of physical and verbal attacks. Steven Sheridan, who boasted that his fists were his 'secret weapon,' pleaded guilty to engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour.
Controlling Sheridan held a razor to his girlfriend's face and said: "Do you want me to kill you?"
His vulnerable victim was repeatedly punched, called a 'freak and a weirdo' and was given a curfew. She stopped using social media and said she felt as though she was in a 'hellhole,' MEN reports.
The woman, who was 19 at the time of the abuse, feared leaving and her dog, which was once thrown across the room, being at risk, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
The relationship finally came to an end following a row in which Sheridan pulled her around by her hair and punched her in the face. Sheridan, from Droylsden, Tameside, pleaded guilty to engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour; multiple counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm; and making threats to kill.
He was handed a suspended sentence after spending more than a year in custody. Prosecutor Maria Brannan earlier said the relationship began in July 2021 after Sheridan and the woman met on Facebook. After five months, she moved in with him and they got a dog, but he became ‘increasingly aggressive’.
She said: “The defendant told her his fists were his secret weapon. He used abusive language towards her calling her ‘fat, freak and weirdo’ and said she had the mentality of a five-year-old.
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“She gave up work part-way through the relationship because of the injuries she was trying to hide. She lost a huge amount of weight because the defendant was skinny and felt she should give up food rather than him.”
The court heard a stranger had to step in during a bust-up while the couple were out shopping. When they got home, Sheridan punched the woman in the face.
On New Year's Eve 2021, they were at her mum's house when she went to use the bathroom and forgot to shut the door. Sheridan accused her of having an affair, before biting her cheek.
In February 2022, the victim's friend received a message saying she was at A&E with bruising to her face. Her friend told her to ring the police, but she was too scared. She later received treatment for bleeding to her eyeball.
The final assault happened at Sheridan's flat during an argument in May last year. He punched her eye, before she left and told her mum.
Sheridan threatened to kill her with an electric razor.. After returning home from walking the dog she saw a pile of her belongings on the floor and went to leave, but he pushed her to the ground and strangled her.
He then held the razor to her throat and said: “Do you want me to kill you?”
In a statement, she said that she had been left ‘mentally drained’, that she lost her appetite, and that the frequent beatings left her with ‘no energy’.
She described living in a ‘hellhole’ and said she thought she was going to die.
Mitigating, Adam White said he had suffered with trauma as a child, which has affected him later in life. “It’s appalling conduct. It’s very unpleasant the way he behaved towards her,” Mr White said.
“There is a fear of rejection which brings about a possessive outlook towards her and others. There was a lack of control and an inability to control his temper.”
He added that his client had written a letter to the judge outlining his genuine remorse and ‘heartfelt’ apology to the victim.
Judge Recorder Neil Usher, quoting sentencing guidelines said: “This represents a violation of trust and security that should exist between people in intimate relationships.
“Domestic abuse offences are regarded as particularly serious in the criminal justice system. Domestic abuse is likely to become increasingly frequent and serious and may result in death, as your ex-partner feared it would.”
Sheridan, of Trent Walk, Droylsden, was sentenced to two years imprisonment which was suspended for two years. He must also complete a Building Better Relationships programme and 20 days of rehabilitation activity requirements.
He was also made the subject of a restraining order, banning him from contacting the woman for five years.
