Woman pressured to cover in wheelie bin after attempting to dump ‘controlling’ boyfriend

A controlling boyfriend pointed a knife at his partner and ran over her on his bike as she lay on the floor. Benjamin Johnson, 38, had controlled his victim by not letting her see friends and family.

He also followed her around the house and controlled her banking, a court was told. The thug could not accept that she wanted to end their relationship and ‘hunted her down’, dragged her in the street, and punched her.

She was so frightened that she hid in a wheelie bin. But he managed to find her and ran over her on his electronic bike. He has now been locked up for 18 months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

Jonathan Dickinson, prosecuting, said that the victim and the defendant were in a relationship for two months, the Stoke Sentinel reports. Although the victim described it as fine at the start, adding that he gave her gifts, she began to notice a change in his behaviour towards her.

He assaulted her on several occasions over the weekend of May 23 and 26 by punching her, dragging her, and running over her on his e-bike.

The prosecutor said: “She said he controlled very aspect of her life. He would not allow her to see friends or family or go out on her own and he would take her phone and block people she knew on social media. On May 22 she asked the defendant if she could go and see her mother. He blew up at her.

“She said she could not go anywhere without him. He would lock the door to the bedroom. She was unable to leave the house on her own. He kept the key on him so she could not leave and slept with the key so she could not leave the room. He would follow her around the house, follow her to the toilet.

“She was concerned he would seriously harm her. She described him as being jealous. He would not allow other people to contact her. He would monitor and control her online banking. He would spend her money but would not let her spend any of it. She was fearful to ask for money. She felt trapped in the relationship.”

On May 23 the victim went to a pal’s house after she told Johnson the relationship was over. She was petrified and felt he was hunting her down.

They argued but he would not let her leave and he took some tablets. He followed her and shouted she could not leave, brandished a kitchen knife, and pointed it at her.

Mr Dickinson added: “She feared for her life and has never been so scared.” She slept in an alleyway. The prosecutor said: “He became verbally aggressive. He grabbed hold of her by the arms, dragged her in the street, and punched her three times to the face. He continued to be violent towards her.

“She ran off and hid in a neighbour’s wheelie bin. He located her. She was frightened. While she was still on the floor he revved his bicycle and rode over her legs.”

In a victim statement the woman said she was petrified for her life. She felt like she was trapped. She added: “I do not feel I will be safe again if he is roaming this area. I am frightened of him approaching me and attacking me.”

In a second statement the victim’s mum said: “I have never seen her so afraid of anything before.”

Johnson, of no fixed address, admitted controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The court heard he is currently serving a jail sentence for two charges of possession of a bladed article and two Harassment Act charges relating to a different ex-partner.

Adam Watkins, mitigating, said Johnson recognises he behaved extremely badly and regrets the way he treated his victim. He said: “He was not able to cope with the potential ending of the relationship. He was not able to cope with feelings of possible rejection. The controlling and coercive behaviour was limited to no more than two weeks.”

Mr Watkins said Johnson has been doing his best to make use of his time in custody. He is employed as a painter and is doing his best to gain skills to help him find work when released. The defence lawyer added: “The relationship is well and truly over.”

Johnson was handed a five-year restraining order. Judge Graeme Smith told him: “I do have a considerable degree of concern that this is now the second case when you have behaved in one way or another in an appalling manner towards a partner.

“She does make it clear the relationship was relatively short and was initially a good relationship. Your controlling behaviour was, at most, for a matter of a couple of weeks, a significantly shorter time than we see in other cases.

“Your behaviour over a couple of days became extreme including brandishing a kitchen knife, making threats to her, and assaulting her.”

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.