A twisted thug held a razor to his girlfriend's face, and asked: "Do you want me to kill you?" Manchester Evening News reported that Steven Sheridan, 22, also told the woman that his fists were his ‘secret weapon’.
He called the young woman a 'freak and a weirdo' - and repeatedly punched her, leaving her with a black eye. Sheridan gave the woman a curfew and even threw her dog across the room.
The woman told Minshull Street Crown Court she feared leaving and the dog being at risk. The abusive relationship ended after Sheridan pulled his victim around by her hair and punched her in the face during an argument.
Sheridan 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.
The pair met on Facebook and started the relationship in July 2021. After dating for five months, the woman moved in with him and they got a dog, but he became ‘increasingly aggressive’.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
A stranger had to step in during a bust-up while the couple were out shopping, and when they got home, Sheridan punched the victim in the face. On one occasion he even once punched her - and told her it was her fault.
The court heard how on New Year's Eve 2021, the pair 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. At some time in February 2022, the woman's friend received a message saying she was at A&E with bruising to her face.
She told told her to report the matter to the police, but she was too scared, and later received treatment for bleeding to her eyeball. The final assault happened at Sheridan's flat in May last year, when he punched her eye.
The woman left and told her mum. After the woman took the dog on a walk 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.”
White continued that his client had written to the judge showing genuine remorse and offering a ‘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 was sentenced to two years in jail which was suspended for two years, and made the subject of a restraining order, banning him from contacting the victim for a period of five years.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here .
