‘Gaslighting’ attacks put man in jail
ABUSINESSMAN responsible for “inexcusable” attacks on his ex-partner wept as he was jailed.
Robert Aston targeted his former girlfriend in a way that could be described as “gaslighting”, Cardiff Magistrates’ Court heard.
The violence by the 36-year-old, from Pontcanna, Cardiff, included slamming a door on her foot, leaving her bruised, in “a deliberate act intended to cause fear”.
Aston, of Severn Grove, had denied a total of five counts of assault – including three against a second victim who cannot be named for legal reasons – but was found guilty.
The court heard a statement from his ex-girlfriend, who described his behaviour as “unbelievable and inexcusable”. She said: “The emotional pain was far greater than anything he could do to me physically. The last three months of the relationship were the worst. It became regular for him to insult me, projecting his faults onto me, saying I was insane. It caused a lot of self-doubt and created a cognitive dissonance I had to live with.
“I struggled to sleep. As time went on I was always on high alert for his mood, things that could trigger his volatility and anger.”
She said Aston called her a “disgusting, vile woman”. On one occasion he soaked her with bath water in an act which stripped her of dignity, she added.
“When he felt he had been undermined he would say: ‘I know lawyers, I know barristers, I will have my way.’ I felt lost. I have so much self-doubt, insecurity, and fear that I am still working through. In the end, in a choice no-one should ever have to make, I chose safety over love. I obsessively check the locks of my home. It is a lasting impact of my fear which will
never really go away.”
Ms Lingley, mitigating, said her client “wants to change” and “doesn’t want to ever behave in that way again”.
She added: “This occurred at the end of what was a very happy relationship for some time. They were together six years and it only started to go wrong around lockdown. Mr Aston’s parents-in-law had moved in in very cramped conditions, his business was at risk, he developed mental health problems and started drinking too much. The relationship was falling apart.”
Ms Lingley said that as the sole director of his business it could fail “if he is not there” to run it. She said a prison term would cause a “huge lasting impact”.
But handing down an immediate 12-week jail term Judge Harmes said the type of behaviour exhibited by Aston “has sometimes been described as gaslighting”. He acknowledged the prison sentence would cause harm but found it was necessary, adding: “I could have easily given a lot more. I have given the minimum.”
The judge said Aston would serve six weeks of the sentence in jail and the remainder under supervision in the community.
He must pay £1,500 in compensation, £620 in prosecution costs, and a £128 victim surcharge.