Sydney man sentenced to two-year prison term for terrorizing girlfriend

“I am left with visible scars that will haunt me forever. Covering marks and bruises became second nature but did not go unnoticed.”

Former girlfriend of Bradley Shane Axworthy

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CAPE BRETON POST STAFF

SYDNEY — A Sydney man who terrorized his girlfriend with verbal and physical abuse that included carving the words “cum pig” into her skin has been sentenced to serve a two-year federal prison term.

Bradley Shane Axworthy, 44, is also to complete a twoyear probation period along with submitting a DNA sample to the national registry.

He was sentenced after pleading guilty to two counts of assault, two counts of uttering threats, and single counts of assault causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon (a razor) and assault by choking.

The offences are alleged to have occurred between November and December 2020 in Sydney.

During that one-month period, Axworthy's former girlfriend endured a host of humiliating and degrading acts during which she was told she deserved it.

“He almost succeeded in destroying my entire life. My spirit was crushed, my words were not my own and I was made to feel worthless. To him, I was a possession,” said the woman, in reading her victim impact statement in court.

“One of the worst parts of this entire situation is how easily I was manipulated. Each move, every word he used, was calculated and with purpose. My weaknesses were his prey,” she said.

GRUESOME ASSAULT

Axworthy and the woman began living together in September 2020. The abuse included being punched in the face with a closed fist, threatened with a knife, and being threatened that he would harm her parents.

In one particularly gruesome assault, Axworthy used a straight razor to carve the words “cum pig” into the woman's skin in an area just above her right breast.

“I am left with visible scars that will haunt me forever. Covering marks and bruises became second nature but did not go unnoticed,” she said.

“Verbal abuse was nonstop. The things that were said were devastating, simply cruel and sadistic. It broke me down day by day. It led me to try and take my own life just to escape.”

In his own defence, Axworthy told the court he wished none of it had happened.

Provincial court Judge Diane McGrath said Axworthy's expression of remorse rang hollow, adding if there hadn't been a joint Crowndefence sentencing recommendation, she would have imposed a higher sentence.

She suggested that Axworthy needs more intense rehabilitation than what would be offered in the standard respectful relations program.

McGrath said she fears for any partners Axworthy may have in the future.