MY HELL AT THE HANDS OF STALKER MET ONLINE

CITY WOMAN TELLS OF RETURNING NIGHTMARE

AN ABUSIVE man jailed for a string of offences including stalking and threats to kill was released early due to coronavirus - and immediately went back to his old ways.

Dennis Beastall, right, made life hell for Leicester woman Julie Emms in April, in a repeat of his behaviour when they were in a relationship after meeting via a dating site.

Ms Emms, left, described how he had controlled every part of her life - and warned others to take care when internet dating.

She said “animal” Beastall used to beat her and was possessive and controlling when they were together. He was jailed in December for a year, but let out early due to Covid-19.

In a breach of a restraining order, he soon began a harassment campaign against Ms Emms, at one point threatening: “If I can’t have you, nobody will.”

He is now back behind bars.

A LEICESTER woman has described how an abusive ex-boyfriend controlled every part of her life - and warned others to take care when internet dating.

Julie Emms, 50, spoke out about how “animal” Dennis Beastall beat her and controlled every aspect of her life when they were together.

He was released early from prison due to Covid-19 and was in trouble again within a week.

He had been jailed in early December last year for 12 months, but served just under four months of that sentence and was released in early April due to the coronavirus.

Within five days, Beastall was back to his old ways, contacting Ms Emms again, which he was not allowed to do due to a restraining order.

At one point he told her that if he could not be with her, no-one could.

On Friday, at Derby Crown Court, Judge Robert Egbuna sent Beastall, of Bass Street, Derby, back to prison for 20 months for stalking and breaching his restraining order.

The court heard how he also has five restraining orders against five other women from his past.

Ms Emms, pictured left, said: “He is an animal. He will go as far as he can to get what he wants. And once he wants something, he will not stop.”

Ms Emms said the pair first met on dating services Plenty of Fish and Badoo. She said he admitted to her that he made multiple accounts to speak to her, pretending to be different people.

Ms Emms said: “For the first 15 days he was brilliant. He made me laugh. But then I came home from having my nails done and he was drunk at around 11.30am.”

Ms Emms said that from there the relationship worsened and he would hit her multiple times and abuse her.

She said: “He would wake me up at night with my phone, asking me who I was friends with on social media. He didn’t let me see my grandchildren for four-and-a-half months.”

At one point, he hid in Ms Emms’ attic overnight to stalk her, and was only found out when he crashed through the ceiling into the house the next morning.

She continued: “He drugged me on ketamine once. He said: ‘Let’s get a beer.’ When I woke up I had no clothes on and they were in the washing machine because I couldn’t stop vomiting.”

Beastall had been convicted of offences including stalking, assault, threats to kill and criminal damage, and sentenced in December to 12 months in prison with a five-year restraining order against Ms Emms.

He was released in April and reoffended almost straight away.

Beastall pleaded guilty to stalking with threats of violence and breaching his restraining order between April 7 and April 26 this year.

Prosecutor Lauren Butts told the