Obsessive and jealous ex jailed

AN OBSESSIVE man with a history of domestic violence told his ex-girlfriend he would kill or hurt himself “to wind her up” – and threatened to beat up her new partner.

Cardiff Crown Court heard Joshua Evans became jealous when his exgirlfriend started seeing someone else and threatened to “kick his head in”, leaving her feeling scared, upset and unsafe.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Thomas Hughes QC said: “You are a rather obsessive and jealous individual”.

Peter Donnison, prosecuting, said Evans and his ex-girlfriend had dated as teenagers and remained friends, before resuming their relationship more recently and splitting up again.

He said: “The defendant clearly wanted a relationship to begin again. She expressed she did not want that.”

Prosecutors said the woman resumed a relationship with a former partner, adding: “Following that, the defendant appears to have become jealous.”

The court heard Evans contacted her “shouting and screaming” and behaved abusively towards her.

Mr Donnison said the defendant sent a message to the woman’s new partner saying he was going to “kick his head in”.

Evans sent another message saying: “I’m at breaking point and if I break, I’ll take everyone down with me”.

Mr Donnison added: “The contact was clearly not wanted.”

The court heard Evans told the complainant he would hurt or kill himself and she was “scared” about what he might do. She reported the harassment to the police, who checked on the defendant’s welfare.

He told officers he did not intend to kill himself and did it to “wind up” his ex-partner.

The next day, on June 30, the woman reported further calls and messages to the police.

Prosecutors said she decided move because she did not feel safe. to

Evans was arrested and answered “no comment” to the questions put to him in his police interview.

He was given a six-month jail term, suspended for two years, at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on May 18 this year for battery and two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Mr Donnison said the offences related to another ex-girlfriend, who did not immediately report his offending to the police.

In relation to that incident, the court heard that in August 2015, Evans was playing a computer game in his bedroom and started to “get angry” when it was not going well.

Mr Donnison said: “He started screaming at the complainant.”

The court heard the woman tried to ignore him, but he screamed in her face and punched her arm.

She reported being “in agony” and thought he had broken her arm, but he called her a hypochondriac and told her not to go to hospital.

Prosecutors said she went home and did not tell anyone about the incident until a couple of years later.

The court heard the same woman went to his home in April 2017 to end their relationship and the defendant got a knife from the kitchen and started to cut his legs.

She tried to take the knife away from him and he cut her hand, before threatening to stab her, the court was told.

Prosecutors said he also threatened to take an overdose if they did not get back together and kicked her in the leg.

A restraining order was made in respect of that complainant and Richard Ace, defending, stressed he had complied with the requirements of the suspended sentence.

But Judge Hughes noted the defendant committed the new offences within a month of being sentenced.

Mr Ace accepted the offences showed his client had a “nasty side”, but told the court he was aged only 20 at the time.

He said Evans is “well-educated” with 14 GCSEs and wants to work. He said his client has sought help for mental health problems.

Evans, 21, from Alfred Street in Gilfach Goch , near Tonyrefail, admitted harassment in breach of a suspended sentence.

Judge Hughes described the offending as a “persistent course of harassment” and told him: “This cannot go on”.

Evans was jailed for 35 weeks and a five-year restraining order was imposed.