Dean Foord subjected his victim to six months of relentless abuse and coercive control − but eventually was caught hiding in a fridge in order to avoid being arrested by police
A man deemed to be a “violent bully” after subjecting a woman to severe abuse over several months was discovered hiding from police − inside a fridge. Officers arrested Dean Foord after a woman reported suffering mental and physical abuse over a six-month period.
The 33-year-old was violent towards his victim, controlled her social media accounts and made her cut contact with all friends and family members, according to Kent Police.
Bodycam footage showed the moment officers discovered Foord − from Rochester, Kent − hiding in a fridge in a desperate attempt to avoid being caught. The officer can be heard saying: “Hello mate, out you come” − as Foord claims he has a broken foot and repeats “Be nice.”
Foord’s victim was only allowed to leave the house when he allowed her to. However, he was able to spend all of her money on gambling, drugs, alcohol and scratch cards. On one occasion, he locked her in a room and would only let her out after making her bark like a dog.
She was not allowed to have a phone and − whenever she did − Foord would deliberately damage any phone she had. He even forced her to sell one of her phones to pay off a drug debt he had built up.
He also subjected her to serious abuse over the six month period, police said. In a harrowing repeated incident, Food had dragged her by the neck, pushed her to the floor and banged her head into the ground on one occasion.
Another time, when the victim tried to escape his clutches, he followed her to a property and threw a brick through a window, putting the homeowner in fear for her life. He also filmed himself threatening the victim with a knife, saying he was going to kill her, and threw a bucket of dirty water over her.
Foord, of Brooker Close, was eventually arrested last December and was found in possession of cocaine. He was later charged and following a trial found guilty of actual bodily harm, criminal damage, threats to kill, common assault, controlling and coercive behaviour, and possession of a class A drug.
He was jailed for three years at Maidstone Crown Court on last Tuesday (June 30). Speaking on the ruling, George Fisher from Kent Police said: “Foord is a violent bully who used fear, violence and intimidation to control almost every aspect of the victim’s life.
“He tried to hide from officers in a fridge, but there are no hiding places. This shows that we will track offenders down and bring them to justice. I also commend the victim for the courage she has shown in coming forward and helping to secure this conviction.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.