'Vile' domestic abuser jailed for tormenting woman

John Stone was jailed for three years

A "vile" domestic abuser who tormented his partner and then tried to make her withdraw her complaint to police has been jailed for three years.

John Stone, 47, controlled and isolated the woman while regularly subjecting her to physical, mental and emotional abuse during their three-year relationship, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The woman told the court Stone got so deep into her head she completely lost her identity, adding he was a "very dangerous, evil, twisted and violent man".

Stone, a father of six, had denied controlling and coercive behaviour and perverting the course of justice but was found guilty by jurors after a four-day trial.

The relationship was initially good but issues arose with Stone becoming "angry and jealous for no cause", prosecutors said.

The woman would try and "defuse" Stone by isolating from her friends and family, deleting her Facebook account and throwing away her family photographs, the court heard.

'Cruel' self-harm encouragement

But his abuse and violence continued and escalated, the court heard.

Judge Thomas Moran said Stone pushed the woman down concrete stairs, throttled her with the cords of her hoody, hit her in the face with a bottle and bit her on the nose.

He also sent her "grossly offensive" videos and messages and encouraged her to hurt herself, "which was a particularly cruel thing to do" as she had a history of self-harm, the judge said.

Stone then used "emotional blackmail" and "outright threats", including on one occasion attacking her, to get her to withdraw her complaint to police, the judge said.

'He manipulated me'

The woman told the court Stone "targeted" her because she had previously been a victim of domestic abuse and he "read from a script of pure fabrication, brainwashing me with his lies".

She said the physical abuse was terrible, but the emotional and mental abuse was "the worst" and had "completely broken" her.

She said he told her how to "feel, think and act" and if she went anywhere on her own, she had to have him on video call or send him regular photos.

"He manipulated me into doing everything his way," the woman said.

"He played so many games and got so deep in my head I completely lost my identity and didn't recognise myself anymore."

Danger to women

She added his torrent of "vile, evil and sick messages" and the constant "pinging" of her phone made her feel as though her head would explode.

"[Stone] is a very dangerous, evil, twisted and violent man who should not be allowed near women and children," the woman said, and added the "most concerning part" was he still believed he was the victim of their relationship.

Judge Moran, said Stone, of Ordsall Green in Middlesbrough, had been abused as a child which had affected his ability to form relationships as an adult, and had been assessed as posing a "high risk of serious harm to partners".

A restraining order was also made banning Stone from contacting the woman for 15 years.