A dominating girlfriend humiliated her downtrodden lover over his sexual performance, looks and breath in a campaign of bullying that drove him to the brink of suicide.
Student nurse Sarah Rigby forced her ex-boyfriend Gareth Jones to eat salad, wear a hat and down toothpaste and mouthwash as she bullied him into the belief he was fat, bald and had halitosis.
During the couple’s wretched six-month relationship, the 41-year-old also belittled the NHS project manager over his sexual performance, telling him if she wasn’t pregnant within the month, she would “dump” him and “find someone else to have sex with”.
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Jones, 40, had moved into the mother-of-six’s home in Winsford, Cheshire, after meeting on dating site Plenty of Fish. On occasion, Rigby would throw Jones out while he was dressed only in underwear, wasn’t allowed to have his own door key and wasn’t allowed to be in the house when she was out.
(Image: Sarah Rigby/ Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd)
She also called him “fat”, “lazy”, “sweaty”, “a whale”, “dopey”, “thick”, “smelly” and a “dog” during other temper tantrums.
During one attack, Rigby told Jones: “I may not control social services, but I can control you and I am loving it.”
Rigby forced Jones to forfeit his £4,000 a month wage, and allow her to check his mobile phone on demand. He even resorted to giving his own mother a “duress code” to indicate when it was safe for them to speak without his lover listening in.
Jones told Chester Crown Court that he was driven to the brink of suicide by Rigby’s reign of terror. She was sentenced to 20 months jail suspended for two years and was banned from contacting Jones for five years under the terms of a restraining order.
(Image: Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd)
He said: “After the abuse started, the effect of being constantly belittled and abused made me nervous, feel degraded and worthless. My image of myself became distorted and I had low self esteem – I still feel like this to a degree.
“When she used to say things like I had halitosis and forced me to drink half a bottle of Listerine or eat toothpaste, I started to believe that I had things wrong with me.
“I was forced to wear a hat every time we went out together because she didn’t want to be seen with someone who was receding and kept on that she wanted me to have a hair transplant. l also felt degraded as Sarah used to try and intimidate me and ridicule my manhood regularly.”
Jones said he was so traumatised by his relationship he kept minimal possessions and had a “grab bag” with him containing a tooth brush, washing products and a towel at all times, after falling into the habit of stashing toiletries in his work briefcase due to Rigby frequently booting him out of the home.
He added: “I think I will always be emotionally scarred by the effects the abuse that I’ve suffered.”
Defence counsel Miss Jade Tufail said Rigby had been diagnosed with PTSD due to an undisclosed childhood “trauma”.
Judge Mr Recorder Eric Lamb told here: “Your conduct has led to a substantial detrimental effect upon Mr Jones, who even today when speaking of the impact of the relationship upon him was plainly close to tears and in great distress when speaking on where the relationship had left him. There were multiple methods of controlling or coercive behaviour intended to humiliate and degrade him.”
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