Victims of controlling and coercive behaviour can often suffer violence and threats which often takes place during the course of a domestic relationship. This behaviour can include assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten the victim
Guidance defines controlling behaviour as a range of acts designed to make a person subordinate and/or dependent by isolating them from sources of support, exploiting their resources and capacities for personal gain, depriving them of the means needed for independence, resistance and escape and regulating their everyday behaviour.
Victims of such behaviour are often subjected to violent attacks but remain in relationships because they have been gaslighted to believe that the behaviour was their fault and they deserved it. Here is a list of men who have appeared in front of Welsh courts for controlling and coercive behaviour.
You can read more court stories from across Wales here
Carwyn Roberts
Carwyn Roberts, 29, pretended to be a lawyer and a doctor in a bid to control his partner’s life – even persuading the vulnerable woman she was pregnant.
The defendant, of Caernarfon, created a series of fake people and email accounts in order to spin a web of lies which ranged from the couple buying a house together to convincing her she had been drugged and sexually abused in her own home. He also persuaded her to give up her job at a school after saying he had secured a new position for her with the local council.
Mold Crown Court heard the months of deception which Roberts subjected his victim to had a devastating effect on her mental health. The victim had effectively been "brainwashed" into doing whatever the people in the emails told her to do.
The months of lying culminated with Roberts coming home one day with an ultrasound scan showing a pregnancy with twins and telling his partner she was pregnant. This was followed-up by emails from a doctor sent from yet another bogus account he had created. It later transpired the defendant had carried out extensive internet searches in order to obtain a fake ultrasound image.
The court heard the victim was "confused" about the scan and emails from the doctor confirming her pregnancy but the couple went to see her brother to tell the family the happy news. It was the brother's partner who spotted something was amiss with the scan and raised the alarm. The police were contacted and an investigation uncovered the full extent of the defendant's deceit.
Roberts was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for two years and was ordered to complete a rehabilitation course and 250 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay £3,230 towards prosecution costs.
Gareth Meachin
Gareth Meachin, 31, strangled his girlfriend when she was pregnant and held a knife to her throat in a jealous rage. The assaults were so violent his own sister and mother intervened to stop him.
The defendant, of Abercynon, assaulted his now former partner on several occasions during their relationship between November last year and February. The woman was pregnant at the time of the assaults and lost the baby but it's not suggested this was as a result of Meachin's actions.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard the offences came to light on February 9 when the defendant called the police and claimed he had been assaulted by his partner. Police found the woman hiding behind a neighbour's car.
She described the defendant of stripping her of her true identity and that she was struggling to regain the person she once was. The victim said Meachin was "jealous, controlling and violent" and the abuse left her feeling "physically, mentally and emotionally drained" and that she was "devastated" after losing her baby".
Meachin was was sentenced to two years and five months imprisonment. He was made subject to a restraining order for five years.
Darran Porch
Former soldier Darran Porch, 50, had a long history of beating and abusing women and turned his partner's life into a "nightmare" with his controlling behaviour.
Having "lured" a woman into a relationship under false pretences he then effectively took over her life – cutting her off from her friends, monitoring her movements, not allowing her to go to the toilet unless he was present, and controlling which positions she could sleep in. Swansea Crown Court heard the former solider suffered from "complex and severe" post-traumatic stress disorder and while he craved a normal relationship with a wife and children he realised that because of his past that was not going to be possible.
Porch met his victim – a solicitor in her 40s – on a dating website where the defendant was using the name of Max Hill in order to hide his true identity and his string of previous convictions for domestic violence both in the UK and Australia. She said the couple soon moved in together at Porch's Port Talbot flat and he began promising marriage and talking about children.
However, almost immediately, the defendant became controlling and belittling in his behaviour towards his new partner by criticising her parking abilities, her choice of food, the way she cleaned, and the way she dressed – asking her if she was "a solicitor or soliciting".
Porch put pressure on the woman to use her savings to buy a house and on one occasion called her a "slag" and pushed her about after seeing a message from the brother of a work colleague pop up on her phone, while on another occasion he assaulted her as she drove her car along the M4 leaving her with cuts and bruises on her face. The court heard he also insisted that all sex between the pair was anal and the frequency and nature and way the defendant did it has left the woman with lasting medical problems.
The defendant was sentenced to two years in prison. He will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. He was also made the subject of an indefinite restraining order banning him from contacting his former partner.
Kayne O'Dare
Kayne O'Dare, 26, repeatedly assaulted the mother of his child and controlled her life over the course of almost a year. The defendant, of Cardiff, was violent and controlling towards his partner.
He repeatedly assaulted his victim and left her with black eyes and at one point a broken arm. When family members asked the victim about her injuries she would not tell the truth about the state of the violent relationship she was in and the fact that her partner would control most aspects of her life.
Cardiff Crown Court heard O’Dare kicked his victim at the home they shared together and put his arms around her neck to the point where she thought she was going to die. He also told her after that particular attack that she deserved what he had done to her.
He kicked the victim when she turned around and faced him and in July 2021 when an argument ended with the defendant punching his victim in the ribs, causing her to fall to the floor. He then dragged her up the stairs before beginning to cry and trying to hug her. A month later, in August, 2021, O’Dare repeatedly kicked his then-partner in her arms and legs. When she left to go to another room he followed her, picked up a chair, and threw it at her.
O’Dare was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment. Half of that sentence will be spent in prison with the remaining half on licence. He was also made the subject of a 10-year restraining order.
Paul Campbell
"Boorish and bullying" thug Paul Campbell, 31, physically and mentally abused his partner, beat her and spat at her in a campaign of abuse which also saw him urinate on her bed. He was only in a relationship with his former partner for five months but he made her life a misery by his "controlling, volatile, and violent" behaviour.
The defendant, of Cardiff, punched her, kicked her and hit her head on the side of a sink. He also trashed her house and urinated on her bed, threw freezing cold water over her as she was sleeping, and falsely accused her of sleeping with a teenager, while blaming her for his outrageous behaviour.
A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court heard that a month into their relationship the defendant spat in the woman's face and called her a "f****** ugly c***" after he looked through her messages and saw she had written a kiss (x) at the end of a conversation with a man.
After a brief separation, the couple got back together but on July 5 he accused her of sleeping with a teenager and punched her to the nose, causing her to fall to the floor and hit her collarbone. He also grabbed hold of her hair and slung her round the room. Campbell was sentenced to three years imprisonment. He was made subject to a restraining order indefinitely.
Patrick Aldoescu
Pro darts player Patrick Aldoescu, 35, subjected his former partner to more than a year of controlling behaviour. She was left unable to walk down the street without looking over her shoulder following her treatment at the hands of Aldoescu, of Newport.
The father-of-three controlled the victim for more than a year when he took to drinking to try and cope with his depression, Cardiff Crown Court was told. There was a night the victim wanted to go to bed to which the defendant said: "What are you going to sleep for?" She continued: "The defendant picked up the bed and threw it on top of her. When she got up and asked to leave the defendant smashed her mobile phone." The victim sustained bruises as a result of the incident.
As time went on the defendant also became adamant the victim was having an affair and kept questioning her about it. There was also an incident where he hit her in the stomach and he would also sometimes turn up to her place of work. Aldoescu was sentenced to 18 months in prison and was disqualified from driving for 21 months for driving without a licence. A restraining order was also imposed.
Adam Smith
Adam Smith, 37, of Newport, threatened to kill his own father if he did not give him money to buy drugs and stole £8,000 as well as jewellery that belonged to his late mother. He was financially abusive to his father Roger Smith and took advantage of his ill health to steal thousands of pounds and violently demand money.
He was arrested on June 21 after turning up at Mr Smith's home in the morning while under the influence of drugs and kicking over his father's belongings before shouting: "I am coming for you old man, don't call your friends." He then picked up a table and Bluetooth speaker and hurled it at the victim. The defendant then threatened to stamp on Mr Smith's head and said: "Get money for me. I don't care how you get it, even if you have to sell yourself."
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court was told the victim approached workmen outside his home begging for them to call the police. One of the workmen could hear Smith shouting: "Let's go for it. Get back in the house or I'll kill you."
Sentencing, Judge Timothy Petts said: "You physically and financially abused your father who was vulnerable due to his Parkinson's disease. Because of your drug habit you would demand money in the early hours of the morning with threats to kill him and unsurprisingly he was scared." Smith was sentenced to a total of 27 months imprisonment.
Liam McCann
Liam McCann, 22, subjected his girlfriend to a prolonged period of abusive behaviour including locking her in his house, trapping her fingers in a door, and pressing his foot down on her neck as she lay on the floor. He also threatened his partner and would monitor her social media usage and accuse her of seeing other men.
She was left with bruising to her body on a number of occasions but when arrested McCann, of Pontypool, told police he had been the victim with his girlfriend responsible for controlling behaviour including turning his friends against him.
During an argument in April of that year McCann grabbed the victim’s arm and squeezed it tightly, causing her to flee his home. McCann then sent a text message blaming her for the incident, telling her he was sorry and that he still loved her. He later put his foot on her neck and pushed down. She could not breathe and felt pain and it lasted for what felt like two minutes.
In February, 2018, he punched her in the leg and the following month he pushed her to the side of her head leaving her with a black eye. When police arrived at the property, McCann had left but left the victim locked inside, forcing her to climb out through a window. McCann was sentenced to a 22-month jail sentence suspended for two years.
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