16 despicable men every woman in Cornwall should know about
A violent and controlling relationship can profoundly impact a person's mental and emotional well-being, in many cases for several years or even a lifetime. Victims may experience anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and feelings of isolation.
At CornwallLive we cover the vast majority of cases heard at Truro Crown Court and one of the most depressingly predictable things is that each and every month one or more men find themselves in the dock to be sentenced for violence or other despicable behaviour towards women.
The effects of these crimes are devastating, leaving the victims not only often physically scarred, but also with lifelong psychological trauma such as the inability to trust men in the future. Here we seek to tell the women of Cornwall about some of the men that have this year been sentenced for either violence or emotional abuse towards women or stalking like behaviour.
READ MORE:Update on six people arrested on suspicion of Cornwall attempted murder
READ MORE:Knife carriers, bad drivers and thieves sentenced at magistrates this week
If you need help and support with a violent or abusive relationship, resources like Women's Aid can be useful. The Women's Centre Cornwall can also offer support and guidance. Call 999 if you find yourself in immediate danger.
16 men sentenced in 2024 for their crimes against women in Cornwall
James Hitchings
A jealous thug punched, headbutted, kicked and strangled his longsuffering partner and told her he would go to prison for murdering her. James Hitchings, 30, left the victim with injuries that made her look like she'd been in a boxing match, the judge said.
Hitchings, from St Mawes, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence having pleaded guilty to strangulation, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, criminal damage and breach of a restraining order. Hitchings was also in breach of a suspended sentence given to him for attacking the same victim.
Prosecuting the case, Ramsay Quaife described how in late November Hitchings made contact with his former partner by Facebook messenger, saying that he was a changed man. He asked to meet up and they did in Torquay where a hotel was booked.
They went out drinking but when they got back to the hotel Hitchings "started getting funny". He became angry and accused her of sleeping with other men. Hitchings then locked the door and punched the victim to the face repeatedly, pulling her back as she tried to escape.
She tried to get off the floor and as she pleaded Hitchings headbutted her and threw her phone. There was blood everywhere and Hitchings ordered the complainant get in the shower. When she did he punched her and tried to film her.
The attack then continued as Hitchings kicked and headbutted his former partner before getting on top of her and strangling her, pushing so hard she became light-headed.
Chillingly, Hitchings told her "If I'm going back to prison, I want it to be for good reason". Hitchings said that he was going to kill her and he'd only end up doing eight years. Hitchings then pressurised the victim to have sex with him, filming the act.
The next morning, the complainant begged the defendant to let her go to hospital as she had a lot of pain around her face and ribs, but Hitchings told her not to go because if she did he'd get his friends to go after her. The victim did eventually attend hospital and Hitchings contacted her again.
Representing Hitchings, Martin Pearce said: "He was deeply in love and accepts that the relationship is at an end and that feelings of jealousy led him to this behaviour. He suffers severe personality disorder, PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and depression. He isn't an alcoholic but recognises that when in drink he acts poorly."
Sentencing Hitchings, Judge Simon Carr said: "It is clear this relationship was violent and abusive throughout. In early November you received a suspended sentence for assaulting her and a restraining order was made. You breached it within a matter of days if not hours."
Judge Carr said that despite the victim agreeing to meet, the fault lies entirely with Hitchings as domestic violence victims are often drawn back to their abusers.
Judge Carr added: "It was a sustained and brutal attack that lasted hours and must have been truly terrifying. Her injuries looked like she'd been in a boxing match. She only managed to remove herself after two days of abuse."
Hitchings was jailed for three years and three months.
Andrew May
Two women's lives became a living nightmare when a vile stalker became infatuated with them and inflicted months of distressing abuse upon them and their families, a court heard.
Andrew May's reign of terror was so bad that one of his victims was forced to move home so he could no longer find her. The 52-year-old North Parade in Camborne, spent a year between October 2022 and October 2023 stalking one his victims at or near her home, shouting foul abuse and causing significant distress.
Between August 2019 and October 2023, May also stalked a second woman and caused her to fear that violence would be used against her. On Friday, February 23 at Truro Crown Court, May pleaded guilty to two counts of stalking involving serious alarm and distress, over the course of 21 months and 16 months respectively. He also admitted cultivation of cannabis.
Prosecutor Michael Brown said that in the case of his first victim, May's first victim was forced to install CCTV surveillance equipment at her home after his abusive stalking became so bad including checking up on her wherever she went, and damaging some of her property and that of her family.
With regards to his second victim, Mr Brown told the court that May's became totally infatuated with her and would turn up at her house several times a day, leaving gifts at her home and even breaking in to steal stuff from inside her house. Mr Brown said that May taunted his victim by stalking around her house for hours and then apologised for masturbating on her doorstep.
The court heard that the situation became so bad that his victim had to resort to pretend not to be at home and was even forced to move address so his constant harassment would stop. Ramsay Quaife, defending, said May had fallen into a hole which got worse through his drug use.
Sentencing May to a total of six years in prison, Judge Simon Carr said May's actions had been truly "chilling". He also issued a restraining without time limit, preventing May from contacting either woman.
Thomas Higgins
A Royal Marine who drove at speed into his wife, catapulting her through the air following an argument was sentenced to prison this month. Thomas Higgins, 40, drove at speed into his wife on May 7 in Redruth.
It was after a disagreement in which she kicked and hit his car. What he did was described in court as a "serious offence that nobody could dispute". Higgins, of Lydcot Walk in Plymouth, was found guilty of grievous bodily harm by a jury at a trial held in Truro Crown Court in January.
He had previously pleaded guilty to a second charge of dangerous driving and appeared at Exeter Crown Court for sentencing on March 20. The court heard how the incident was captured on CCTV which showed Higgins involved in a brief argument with the victim who was outside of the vehicle in Bond Street at the time.
His wife was then described to "hit and kick" the vehicle before walking around it, to which Higgins responded by deliberately driving into her path, running her over.
Despite being sent 10 to 12 feet in the air, following the collision the victim suffered no major injuries and was seen limping away by a witness. The court heard the assault could have caused serious injury, broken bones and ultimately, death.
The judge said the offences were too serious to consider anything less than a custodial prison sentence and that it was clear that his now wife was in full view of him when he drove into her "at force". Higgins was sentenced to three years imprisonment, which the judge remarked was the minimum possible sentence he could offer in the circumstances. Read the full story here.
Robert Tamblyn
A stalker ex-boyfriend threatened to shoot his former partner in the vagina so she couldn't have sex anymore and said he would shoot her new partner too. Robert Neil Tamblyn, 64, pleaded guilty to three offences carried out in February during which he installed a tracker on his victim's car, threatened her in front of her children and assaulted her.
Tamblyn, of Gotch Gardens in East Taphouse, had previously admitted to harassment, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and making threats to kill. He appeared at Truro Crown Court on March 22 for sentencing.
The court heard Tamblyn had installed a tracker on his victim's car so that he could stalk her, as well as leaving flowers on her vehicle between February 1 and 4. This was despite her never telling him her location.
On February 3 he attended her address, threatened to fill his car up with petrol, drive into her house and set it alight. He also assaulted his victim on that same day and threatened to shoot her, her new partner and then himself.
It was heard how he made those threats to kill in the presence of children, including threats of "significant violence". Reading a victim impact statement from inside the witness box, the victim said his behaviour left her terrified for the future.
Addressing the court, the victim said: "Tamblyn's behaviour and actions throughout this incident terrified me and I remain frightened for my safety, my children's safety and my boyfriend's safety
"I'm really frightened of the repercussions long-term for my life, my children's lives and my new partner's life because Tamblyn said he has got nothing to lose. I'm frightened he is going to kill me."
Tamblyn was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment after a 25 per cent discount for his guilty plea. A restraining order has been fixed for ten years, preventing him from contacting the victim, her partner and children and from entering a mapped area surrounding her place of residence. Read the full story here.
Aaron Roberts
A man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for rape and four other sexual offences against a teenage girl in Camborne. Aaron Roberts, 33, committed the crimes in Cornwall between May and September 2020.
Roberts, from the Swindon area but of no fixed abode, was found guilty by a jury following a two-day trial in December 2023. The court heard that the victim revealed to her family in May 2021 what Roberts had done to her, which was then reported to the police.
Detectives leading the investigation revealed that Roberts had sent the victim inappropriate images of himself via social media. He also forced her into performing sexual acts on him before he raped her. Pleading not guilty meant that Roberts forced his victim to relive her horrific ordeal at his hands in court.
Officers uncovered messages sent by Roberts to the victim where he stated, 'have to do it again one day', believed to be referring to the sexual acts. He also suggested they should erase the messages.
Upon his arrest and subsequent interview in November 2021, Roberts consistently denied all allegations, stating: "I'm telling you now, I wouldn't do any of that."
Despite pleading not guilty to the charges, the jury unanimously found Roberts guilty of rape, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, sexual activity with a child, attempted rape and sexual communication with a child after a brief deliberation.
Roberts stood before the court at Truro Crown Court on 18 April, where HHJ Judge Robert Linford handed down an eight-year prison sentence. Additionally, Roberts is required to sign the Sex Offenders' Register indefinitely.
Detective Constable Distin, the investigating officer, said: "I would like to take this opportunity to commend the victim for her bravery and immense courage in coming forward to police to report this crime.
"Nothing will take away the trauma that she has been through, but we hope that some reassurance can be offered in knowing that supporting a prosecution has brought this man to justice.
"We truly hope that this outcome gives other victims the strength to come forward and report incidents of rape and sexual assault to police and reassures them that we have mechanisms in place to help support victims throughout the process."
Detective Inspector Andy Shortern, the senior investigating officer, welcomed the sentence, saying: "We welcome today's sentence, I would like to thank the victim for reporting to us and supporting the investigation. This result would not have been possible without the victim's courage.
"I would also like to praise detectives from the West Cornwall Public Protection Unit for their tenacity and commitment which has resulted in this dangerous offender being brought to justice."
Kai Pink
A woman, who was beaten with a wooden sword by her own son while she slept was so badly injured she looked like she had been in a car crash, a court heard. The mum was woken by the brutal beating and was heard screaming for help by neighbours.
Kai Pink, 26, from Pendeen Place in Pargolla Road, Newquay, pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding with a view to cause grievous bodily harm. He changed his plea to guilty when he appeared for the first day of what had been scheduled as a three-day trial at Truro Crown Court on Monday, April 29.
Ryan Murray, prosecuting, told the court how on November 12 last year, Pink went to his mother's address following a night out with friends. He went into her home and walked to her bedroom upstairs where his mother slept. It was then that he repeatedly hit her with a black wooden sword.
Pink's mother woke up in agony and terror as her own son was beating her and was heard by neighbours screaming for help as she tried to flee and escape the blows. The court was told how Pink chased his mum down the stairs and out the house and continued to pummel her with his wooden sword.
Mr Murray said that in their witness statements some of the neighbours described her screams as "life or death screams" as Pink's mother shouted for help. Alerted by the horrific screams, several neighbours in the small close came out of their homes. Two of them managed to restrain Pink while others, including a paramedic living in the street, attended to Pink's mum's medical needs.
Mr Murray told the court that police and ambulance attended and Pink's mother was first taken to the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske in Truro before being transferred to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. He said: "She was treated in hospital for a catalogue of injuries.
"She had wounds to her head and hand. Her right elbow was fractured and she had three broken ribs and a punctured lung. One of the neighbours said she resembled someone who had been in a car crash."
Mr Murray added: "Mr Pink's mother had been asleep when her own son attacked her and as she tried to flee he kept beating her on the back of the head, her back and shoulders as she did so. There were trails of blood found in her house going from her bedroom, down the stairs, to the back of the house."
The prosecutor said Pink's motivations for the attack had been strange, and he alleged to the police that his mum had told him to kill himself. After being arrested, Pink at first refused all legal aid and advice that was being offered to him, telling officers he was guilty for what he did and there was no point. In interviews he later said that he had been out to the pub and was so drunk he had no memory of the events between leaving the pub and ending up in police custody.
Ramsay Quaife, defending, told the court that Pink is a man with no previous convictions who drank too much as a way to cope with childhood trauma. He said Pink, who has been on remand since the attack, had written a letter to the court "not as a way to manipulate the court" but to explain himself.
Mr Quaife added: "He has mental health issues. He previously said it was not him that night but there has been some realisation that it was him but he wanted to say this is not the true him. There has now been full acceptance of what he has done. He is deeply ashamed and remorseful. There has been a journey for him to realise that it was him that night. There is remorse but as to what motivated him it's not clear.
"This is someone who has been misusing substances against early life trauma. He has been on remand for more than five months and he has engaged with everything that has been offered to him. He has taken responsibility for himself. There has been that realisation that he has to make that decision himself and get on with it."
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said Pink's depressive state was not relevant to what he did but being drunk was. He told Pink: "You took against your own mother. Your reaction was terrifying. You went into her house and beat her repeatedly while she slept. That was sustained and caused multiple injuries to her body.
"She would have woken up terrified being beaten by her own son. I accept the challenges you have been dealing with. There is remorse but greater remorse would have been seen by a much earlier guilty plea." Judge Carr said there were many aggravating factors in this case, including alcohol, the domestic setting as well as the seriousness of the injuries inflicted.
Pink was sentenced to four and a half years in prison and will serve two thirds before he is eligible for parole.
Matthew James Bennie
A pervert who likes to dress up in women's clothes and "push the boundaries in the bedroom" pushed them "too far" when he incited a young girl to perform sexual acts with him. Matthew James Bennie, 39, from North Country near Redruth area, appeared before Truro Crown Court on Friday, May 10, having been found guilty during a trial in March of two counts of inciting a young girl to engage in sexual activity with him.
The court heard how Bennie had become quite adventurous in his sex life with his partners and enjoyed dressing up in women's clothes. On the date of the offences, Bennie asked the girl if she would like to have oral sex with him. He also asked her to hold a sex toy.
The court was told that while no actual sexual act happened between Bennie and the girl, the incident had a profound effect on his victim and it was so severe it could only be dealt with through a custodial sentence.
In a victim impact statement read out in court, the mother of Bennie's victim said her daughter had loved to draw but since the incident her drawings had taken on a dark side and she was always angry. The mother said her daughter had lost a lot of weight and had become poorly too as a result of the abuse and mental and emotional trauma she had suffered while it had dramatically diminished the girl's ability to trust people, especially men.
Rupert Taylor, defending, told the court that Bennie was a supportive family man and a well regarded hard working man and said no actual sexual act had taken place with the girl. Sentencing Bennie to four years in prison, recorder Timothy Kenefick said: "You developed an interest in internet pornography and pushed the boundaries in the bedroom but you pushed those boundaries too far without realising what you were doing."
Recorder Kenefick said a sexual harm prevention order will also be in place for 10 years. Bennie will also have to be on the Sex Offenders Register and is banned from ever working with children. Here's our story published at the time.
Petrit Zefi
An alcoholic, domineering and jealous man who tried to stab his wife to death in front of their young daughter has been locked up for years. Petrit Zefi, 44, from Station Road, Bugle, near St Austell, was found guilty of one charge of attempted murder during a two-day trial last week.
Appearing before Truro Crown Court for sentencing on Friday, May 17, Judge Robert Linford told the Albanian national there was no doubt that had it not been for the intervention of his own daughter and her friend he would killed his wife Natalie during the attack on November 11 last year.
During the trial it was heard that Zefi, who first entered the UK illegally in 2000 on the back of a lorry from France before moving to the Birmingham area, was such a controlling man that he forbade Natalie, the mother of their four children, to have her own phone or go anywhere on her own. He would even have to be in the car with her on the school runs when the children were younger.
Zefi also controlled any money she received from state benefits and a small furniture refurbishment business they ran together. The court was told that on November 11 last year, while staying at family friend Katie Cook's house in Newquay, Zefi closed the door of the room where Katie and his daughter Hanna were in, before making his way to the bedroom where Natalie and their younger daughter Lola were.
Zefi came into the room, closed the door behind him having picked up a very sharp knife from the kitchen before that, then lunged at his wife as she sat on the bed with their six-year-old girl. He stabbed his wife once on the top of the head which caused the knife's tip to snap and become imbedded in her skull then stabbed her again on top of the head. Natalie then put her arm up in self defence and Zefi stabbed her in the left wrist.
As Natalie screamed, her daughter Hanna came in and with Katie and they tried to pull Zefi off his wife and disarm him. Zefi dropped the knife and fled the property shouting 'she's cheating on me' and was later arrested by police outside a nearby pub.
Judge Linford told Zefi that he was in no doubt that Natalie owed her life to the gallant and brave intervention of their daughter Hanna and that of Katie who managed to disarm him.
Ramsay Quaife, defending, said there some elements of mitigation in Zefi's favour in that it had not been a premeditated attack but a spontaneous act and that he suffered from a mental disorder and learning disabilities. Mr Quaife said Zefi had written to Judge Linford to express his remorse.
He added: "He had a difficult and deprived upbringing in Albania. He lost both his parents. He served in the army in Albania and fought in Kosovo whether he liked it or not. He was financially providing for his family. This was not a premeditated attack."
Sentencing Zefi to 15 years in prison, including two thirds before he will be eligible for parole, Judge Linford said: "You had saturated yourself with alcohol, again. And to your own admission had taken cocaine. What happened was a spontaneous. Your daughter saw you go past her room and go into the kitchen twice. You selected a knife and took it to the room where your wife was.
"When you picked up the knife you knew what you were going to do. You launched this murderous attack on your wife and stabbed her twice in the head and the tip of the blade broke off and got stuck into her skull where it still is today.
"Your daughter and her friend came into the room. In an act of astonishing gallantry and bravery they subdued you and disarmed you. If they hadn't there is no doubt you would have killed your wife. You fled and were arrested by the police later.
"This incident happened in a domestic context, while you were under the influence of alcohol and drugs while a small child was present. You were convinced, irrationally, that your wife was having an affair when she was not. You made some threats against her before. You recognise in your letter where you have gone wrong and expressed a desire to change. But this was a very serious offence." Here's our story published at the time.
Nathan Abbot
A man with a history of domestic violence strangled his ex partner during a heated argument when his mum got involved, a court heard. Nathan Abbot, 32, had been due to stand trial at Truro Crown Court on Monday, May 20, in connection with an incident at his mum's house.
On day one of what was scheduled to be a three-day hearing, he pleaded guilty to one charge of intentional strangulation of his former partner, the mother of his two children. At a previous hearing at magistrates' court he also pleaded guilty to a breach of a five-year restraining order preventing him from being in contact with her following a previous assault on her in December 2022.
Katie Churcher, prosecuting, told the court that on this occasion, last November, Abbot's ex partner had stayed at his mum's house in Hayle - both having agreed to it despite the restraining order in place - as she needed more help and support with the children.
It was heard that she asked him to take their daughter to school as she needed to take their son to Penzance for an eye appointment. He became frustrated and started banging cupboard doors loudly in the kitchen and even kicked the bin in anger. As his ex partner decided to leave the property, Abbot's mother grabbed her by the arm.
An argument followed between the two which is when Abbot, from Harvey's Way in Hayle, grabbed his ex by the throat for what she said felt like 30 seconds and put her in a headlock. Ms Churcher told the court that Abbot's victim tried to fight him off. He eventually let go and she managed to leave the property. Police were called and Abbot was arrested and remanded in custody for being in breach of his restraining order even though it was his mother's home and the two parties had agreed to meet up there.
The court was told that Abbot has three previous convictions for six offences including assaulting his ex partner and throwing a glass at his own grandfather and grabbing another ex partner by the throat and putting his hand over her mouth.
Althea Brooks, defending, said the incident had happened while Abbot was under an immense amount of stress due in part to a recent bereavement after losing a newborn baby daughter with a different partner a few days prior to the November incident. Ms Brooks told the court that there had been four adults and two children at the house at the time and tension was running high while he suffers from autism and has difficulties dealing with crowded spaces and noisy situations.
"He was trying to assist but the tension was increased and prolonged which explains but does not excuse what happened," Ms Brooks said. "There was extreme pressure in a stressful house."
She also said that Abbot was trying to keep contact with his son from another relationship as there were fears that the boy could be taken into foster care, which Ms Brooks said was adding to the tension and stress. She told the court that Abbot has been a model prisoner while on remand, getting involved with all responsibility jobs on offer.
Recorder Christopher Quinlan, KC, said the incident in November had been aggravated by the fact it had occurred in a domestic setting, with children present, and Abbot had a history of similar violence and had breached a restraining order.
Sentencing Abbot to 27 months in prison (the six months he has spent on remand will count towards it), Recorder Quinlan said: "There was an argument between you and your ex partner. Your mother was involved. You took exception to what your ex partner said to your mum and your argument became violent and you squeezed her neck and had her in a headlock for 30 seconds.
"She tried to fight you off and you resisted her attempt. Strangulation creates a real fear of death. You have a history of violence towards previous partners. Children were present and I find that the strangulation was sustained on this occasion.
"I take in consideration your personal difficulties. In December your ex partner wrote a letter on your behalf in which she didn't see herself as a victim but she was. She was not the first victim at your hands." Here is our story published at the time.
Michael Eric Edmonds
A man who terrified his ex-girlfriend and made her feel like she was in prison will get a flavour of what that feels like as he's put behind bars. Michael Eric Edmonds, 30, made his victim's life hell over several months as he showed up at her home, threatened her and even tried to grab her from her car.
Edmonds, of no fixed abode, but formerly of Moliniss Road in Bugle, appeared at Truro Crown Court on Thursday, May 23, for sentence having pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a restraining order and one of affray. The court heard how, over several months and despite being ordered to stay away from his victim, Edmonds made his frightened victim's "life stop".
Prosecuting the case, Ryan Murray said that on one occasion the victim was trying to return some of Edmonds' things to his mother's house in Bodmin when he climbed into her car, then on top of it and resisted her attempts to remove him. As she tried to drive away slowly he used his clothes to block her view out of the windscreen.
Mr Murray that said as things progressed Edmonds reached into the car and "grabbed her with his hands" before trying to pull her out of the vehicle. He ignored her pleas for him to leave her alone and shouted abuse at members of the public trying to help.
After the incident, he was arrested and in a police statement denied going to her property and that the incident had even taken place. A passerby managed to record some of it happening. He had previously showed up at his victim's home in the night, kicking at the door and trying to climb through her window.
The court heard how the defendant continued to contact his victim after these incidents despite being on police bail and despite a restraining order being in place preventing him from contacting her. The victim said she would mostly ignore him although occasionally would answer the phone. She said he would be "erratic" and "shout down the phone" demanding to meet with him or he would "slit his own throat".
She received some 334 calls from him over a three-and-a-half month period including 100 calls in a single day. The victim answered some of those calls because he was threatening to harm himself.
In a victim impact statement, she said: "In relation to all of the incidents that have happened involving Michael it's made me feel like I've been in prison for the last three years." She said his behaviour made her not want to leave her flat or use her car, saying "it has affected my life extremely".
She's been taking antidepressants and has had counselling to cope with the events since. "My whole life has stopped because of what he's done to me," she added. "It's not just the abuse I have to get over but all of the horrible traumatic things."
Representing Edmonds, Ramsay Quaife said the defendant had never come before the courts until he was aged 26 and he is now 30 years of age. He said: "Your honour is dealing with a man today who is not the man of those days."
Having spent six months in custody, he said of Edmonds: "He acknowledges there are problems with alcohol and substance abuse and while in custody he has had the benefits of working with We Are With You."
The defendant was also described as "motivated" and "constantly polite and engaged" during his time in custody. Edmonds had also written the judge a letter saying he was not the same person as the man who committed the offences.
Sentencing Edmonds, Recorder Richard Paige said: "This was a course of conduct directed towards [the victim], including violent breaches of a restraining order, having already committed a number of offences against her.
"It is a course of conduct that lasted over three months which, in my judgement, is clearly a persistent and serious breach." In his sentencing remarks, he said: "I do not consider the remorse expressed in your letter to be genuine."
Following some credit for his guilty pleas, Edmonds was sentenced to 25 months imprisonment. He will serve half of that and then be released on licence. Here is our story published at the time.
James Endean
A man who attacked his former partner and threw his baby son two metres across the room has been sent to prison after committing further offences. James Endean, 24, of Truro, was originally given a chance by the court and handed two suspended sentences but has failed to change his ways.
Endean appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence having pleaded guilty to two counts of harassment - breach of a restraining order on conviction and one count of assault by beating. Prosecuting the case, Piers Norsworthy explained how Endean and his then-partner had been in an on-and-off relationship for seven years and had three children together.
Endean was described as being jealous of who his former partner contacted on social media and tried to contact her via Snapchat to try to get her back. If she said she was at work, he would come in and make threats to her.
In 2022 Endean lost his rag, attacked the mother of his children and threw his baby son two metres across the room. He had previously spent time in custody for attacking his former partner but as of last year had failed to change his ways.
At that time he pleaded guilty to criminal damage, assault and cruelty to a child. Prosecuting the case, Michael Brown described how Endean and his then partner had been in a relationship for four years and had a nine-month-old son at the time.
Mr Brown said that during a morning of rage from Endean, the partner “attempted to diffuse matters and offered to take care of her son. The defendant picked up their son and threw him two metres to her. Fortunately she was able to catch him to stop him from falling to the ground.” Read that full story here.
Now, in February of this year, Endean went to the takeaway restaurant where his former partner worked and said he wanted money from her. It was heard that he kicked over a bin and grabbed her by the throat, and when a customer walked in, she said she needed to serve them as she was the only staff member working. Endean stayed in the restaurant the whole time and when she gave him money after serving the customer, he left.
On another occasion, Endean turned up at her address when she was in the bath and pushed his phone through the letterbox of her front door. When she got out, she recognised he had posted his phone through the door, so pushed it back through.
Endean called her to say his phone was broken and called her a b***h. He then tried to climb through the bathroom window and she told him she would meet him in a park nearby. It was heard that while at the park, Endean grabbed her by the neck and had some sort of a blade on him which he tried to cut his stomach and arms with in front of her, saying she didn’t care about him.
He began shouting in her face and asking to show him her Snapchat inside her house. When she said she would do it outside, he grabbed her and said he “didn’t want to be like this” but blamed his drug addiction.
Endean’s ex-partner then tried to offer him money to find somewhere to stay but when he rejected the offer, she gave him money to get himself some food. When he returned later that evening, she said he could stay on the sofa and the police were called the next day.
In a victim impact statement, Endean’s partner described how she has left her feeling “really scared” of any noise she hears at home or at work as she thinks it’s him coming after her. She said: “He has the ability to seriously hurt me, especially when drugs are involved.
“He’s unpredictable and turns up randomly. Even when we aren’t together he tries to control me, he tells his family not to talk to me. His name-calling and making me feel worthless has affected my confidence, I don’t go out much and it’s affected me socially, I don’t have friends. We have three children together and his son is missing his father figure, they used to have a good relationship but he’s ruined that.”
In mitigation, it was heard that Endean’s previous inability to control his temper or emotions, particularly at a time when he was abusing substances, has been the cause of his offending. However, it was heard that he has shown the first signs of wanting to address those issues.
Endean was also said to have no interest in resurrecting a relationship with his former partner and that he has completed a number of courses to continue to address his temper and emotions.
Sentencing Endean, Judge Simon Carr said: “The victim of all your offending has been your former partner with whom you have three children. From what I have seen it has been an abusive relationship throughout.
“You are unable to control your anger and you use physical violence against your partner, including times when your children were in the house. Money that would have been better spent on children was spent on your drug addiction.
“When you committed the offences in 2024, you were physically and verbally abusive and you bothered her at her home and workplace in a manner she would have found frightening. I cannot ignore the circumstances of offending over a period of time.”
Endean was sentenced to a total of 15 months imprisonment.
Marcus Harbison
A jealous and paranoid man who bombarded his ex with increasingly sinister and disturbing messages during a relentless stalking campaign has been put behind bars. Marcus Harbison subjected his ex-partner to such an onslaught of emotional abuse and increasingly nasty threats that she felt physically sick and on edge every time she went to work.
Harbison's stalking campaign became so bad he told his victim that he'd kill himself and it would be her fault, threatened to put a brick through her window and even put a bomb in her car. The 60-year-old appeared before Truro Crown Court on Thursday (June 27) for sentencing on five counts of intentional strangulation, two assaults by beating, threatening to share photograph or film of a person in an intimate state as well as stalking involving the fear of violence.
The court heard that Harbison, from Treneere Road in Penzance, met his victim at the Land's End Hotel where they both worked and started a relationship.
Ramsay Quaife, prosecuting, told the court how the pair had become engaged several months into their relationship but it came to a grinding halt at a staff party at the hotel when he became drunk and abusive. That night Harbison tried to prevent her from leaving the party by grabbing her car keys and throwing them in a hedge.
She decided to go home and Harbison followed her while a colleague looked for her car keys. When Harbison found the colleague in his ex's home as he returned her keys, he became physically abusive towards both of them. After that incident, despite being told the relationship was over, he subjected her to a "bombardment " of text messages and calls on a daily basis.
Mr Quaife said Harbison, who lost his job at the hotel as a result of his behaviour, would park his car outside his ex's house and when she lost her job and had to move back in with the father of her children, Harbison would park outside his house. He continued to stalk her once she found a new job and a new place of her own.
Harbison would send her unsolicited flowers at her place of work, would wait for her in the lobby, would follow her home demanding that he spend the night with her. Mr Quaife told the court that when she turned him down, he finally snapped and grabbed her by the throat and became more and more threatening.
"He would follow her to see who she was with and if she was seeing someone else," Mr Quaife said. "He would follow her secretly and even threatened to release photographs of her sleeping and put a bomb in her car and throw a brick at her window. On one occasion she had 26 missed calls from him in two hours.
"When he was arrested and interviewed by police he said he couldn't remember but believed he was still in a relationship and believed she was having an affair with someone else."
In a victim impact statement read out in court, Harbison's ex said his behaviour had made her feel vulnerable and scared and she felt "constantly on edge". She said: "It made me feel like I was constantly being watched. One day I saw someone who looked like him and it made me feel sick. This has taken a toll on my mental health. I have anxiety. Stress is affecting my sleep. I was constantly looking over my shoulder. I didn't feel safe in my own home."
Harbison's barrister said this was a man whose life had taken a dark turn when his wife of 40 years died and he took to drinking again as a way to cope with grief. His solicitor said: "His behaviour towards his ex-partner was unacceptable. He is deeply ashamed about the abuse he inflicted and apologises unreservedly.
"He has not come to terms with the loss of his wife of 40 years. She was a teetotaller and when he was with her, he was sober and he was not offending. He led a law-abiding life. He thought his new partner would offer him the emotional support he needed but he started drinking and felt compelled to fall in with her social circle and the drinking that came with it.
"He convinced himself that she was having an affair behind his back and became suspicious of her colleagues. He threw her altruism back in her face. He has vowed to abstain from drink in the future and he now accepts that the relationship is truly over."
The court was told that Harbison has 21 convictions for 77 offences. Sentencing Harbison to 30 months in prison, His Honour Judge James Adkin said his campaign of stalking over several months between December last year and March this year, was "sinister and disturbing".
He said: "You threatened to kill yourself saying it would be her fault. You threatened to throw a brick through her window and to put a bomb in her car. What amounted to a campaign of stalking has put a severe emotional toll on her and has had an impact on her life. There has been some recognition of the problem you have but this was very serious."
As well as a prison sentence, a restraining order was also imposed on Harbison preventing him from making contact with his victim.
David Wesley Smith
A man pulled out his partner’s teeth with his bare hands in an attack that lasted around half an hour. David Wesley Smith, 59, then rinsed her mouth out with a shower head instead of taking her to the doctor.
Smith, of Launceston, appeared before Truro Crown Court for sentencing on August 19 having pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one count of criminal damage.
Prosecuting the case, Sophie Johns described how Smith had been in an on-and-off relationship with his partner for 20 years and sometimes lived with her at her home in Launceston but sometimes he lived elsewhere. On July 16, 2022, he went to her home with a box of beers and took the cans upstairs to drink them.
The complainant noticed the defendant was “agitated and snappy” so stayed out in the garden looking after dogs. At around 10pm she thought he went to bed and thought it was safe to go inside.
However, Ms Johns said the defendant heard her and came “flying downstairs shouting and screaming”, wanting her to come to bed. The victim then ran and slammed the door shut, hoping he would think she went back outside.
She later hid under the bed in the spare room and stayed there for about an hour. Smith then came in and smashed pictures on the wall before finding her under the bed.
The woman recalled him ripping up the bed and pulling her up by the arms and her hair as she screamed. She managed to run down stairs but Smith followed after her and took her phone from her.
Later, as the victim was sitting having a smoke on the sofa, Smith leapt on her and forced her mouth open saying he was “sick of her mouth” and stuck his hands down her throat. He then said her mouth is “f*****g disgusting” and proceeded to pull out three of her teeth with his bare hands over a period of half an hour.
Ms Johns said the woman was choking on her own blood and thought she was going to die. She later said it was worse than labour.
Smith then forced her dressing gown off and tried to rinse her down in the shower and sprayed inside her mouth with the shower head. The complainant said she could see her blood going down the drain and she began feeling weaker and weaker.
They then went to bed and Smith tried to cuddle her. Ms Johns said the next morning, the victim was in “agony” and was “battered and bruised”.
When she got up, she tried to run out of her house but she only got as far as the gate before Smith caught her and dragged her back inside. She tried to scream for help for a neighbour to call the police but no-one heard. Smith took her to the kitchen and smashed up a light switch.
When the victim wanted to seek medical help while her mouth was still in “agony”, Smith threatened her and told her not to tell anyone what had happened. She managed to go to a GP on July 20, where they took pictures of her injuries, including the bruising on her body.
Smith was sentenced to 12 months in prison and will serve half before being eligible for release on licence. He was also subject to a restraining order for 10 years and must pay the £5,000 compensation he offered to the complainant for her dental treatment. Read our full story from the time, here.
Salil Korambayil
A former Royal Cornwall Hospital surgeon accessed patient records to get more information about women he was romantically interested in before going on to rape one of them, a court has heard.
Salil Korambayil, 32, who is currently serving a prison sentence for raping two women, having been found guilty in December 2023, has been sentenced to more jail time over other offences. It's after he accessed patient records without authorisation while working for the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust.
Korambayil, of HMP The Verne in Dorset, formerly of Red Hill in Surrey, appeared at Truro Crown Court in December for sentence having been convicted by a jury of three rapes. Reporting restrictions put in place at the time mean that case could not be reported until recently.
The previous charges related to two incidents, one in Truro in March 2021, and one in Barnstaple, Devon, in August 2020. The full story from the sentencing over the rapes can be read, here.
Korambayil, however, appeared again on Thursday, August 20, at Truro Crown Court from prison where he pleaded guilty to one count of securing unauthorised access to computerised material and one of unlawfully obtaining personal data.
It heard he accessed data he should not have while in a position of trust between January 26, 2020 and April 1, 2020, while working at North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple. He also accessed the personal data of numerous patients between October 1, 2019, and October 31, 2020.
The court heard how he accessed data such as telephone numbers, email addresses and addresses of various patients including women he had been flirting and engaging with on social media. He went on to rape one of the women whose data he had accessed without authorisation or permission.
He also accessed the details of male colleagues and used this to argue that he was not accessing the data to further his advances on the female victims. He was employed by the Devon-based trust as a junior surgeon at the time.
In his sentencing remarks, His Honour Judge Simon Carr said: "Anybody who is told that someone they didn't know had accessed their medical files would feel nothing other than horror and violation, the words used by the victims in this case."
He said Korambayil gained access to people's records to pursue advances on people he was romantically interested in and to gain further information about them such as their addresses and telephone numbers. He, however, accepted that in some instances it was more "curiosity", such as in the case of gaining male colleague's telephone numbers.
"An aggravating feature in this case that can not be overstated is that it is regard to count five that the person whose account and records you had been accessing went on to be raped by you."
Korambayil was sentenced to a further 12 months imprisonment.
Aiden Drew
A violent thug of a dad controlled his partner's life for six years and made her feel "worthless and crazy". Aiden Drew, 30, reigned over her life and even strangled her in front of their two children.
Drew, of Grass Valley Park, Bodmin, formerly of Loswithiel, appeared for sentencing on Tuesday, September 10, at Truro Crown Court having pleaded guilty to intentional strangulation and engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate relationship.
The court heard how he repeatedly controlled his then-girlfriend, isolated her from friends and family and controlled her financially. He wouldn't let her attend doctor appointments or go to work.
He also prevented her from having access to her phone and social media throughout the relationship and in December 2021 assaulted her. Then, in what a judge called the "final straw", in March he strangled her. The court also heard how he prevented her from calling for help or reporting incidents of violence after they occurred.
In her personal impact statement, the victim said: "I do not feel safe. I'm paranoid and I felt like if I'd not had him go away from me I genuinely feel that he would have killed me.
"I was scared for my life at the time, feeling trapped. I was concerned about my children's safety too as he was unpredictable. He made me feel worthless and crazy."
In a further statement, she explained the impact the relationship had on her ability to trust others. "I'm paranoid about everything and feel very depressed. I don't even feel like the same person anymore."
In his sentencing remarks His Honour Judge Robert Linford said the relationship was "blighted" over six years by the defendant's threats of violence, which Drew admitted to in a pre-sentence report.
Judge Linford said: "You took over most aspects of her life. You would not let her attend doctors. You would not let her have her phone. She relied on you financially because you would not let her work. You assaulted her and you strangled her and that was the final straw."
He told Drew: "It is your pleas of guilty that have saved you from the imposition of an immediate sentence of imprisonment."
Drew was given a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years. He was also made subject to a community order and a five-year restraining order was put in place.
Following the verdict, his distraught victim spoke of her disappointment at the sentence. Olivia Grimwade, 24, bravely spoke out to CornwallLive after her abuser walked free from court.
"I wanted him to get a year for every year he took from me and he got nothing," Olivia said following the hearing. "I just don't know how to accept that." Read her story, here along with pictures of the bruises inflicted on her.
Nicholas Harford
A man who lied to his partner about his name despite being legally obliged to share it has been jailed. Nicholas Harford, 38, who is on the sex offenders register, told his partner his name was Nicholas Pengarrow and she did not discover he was a registered sex offender until she saw a post about him on social media.
Harford, of no fixed abode, appeared at Truro Crown Court on September 17 charged with five counts of failure to comply with notification requirements as a registered sex offender.
These included failure to notify the police of a change of address within three days of the change, failure to notify police of a new bank card within three days of acquiring one, failure to notify police of being of ‘no fixed abode’ within seven days of his previous notification, failure to notify of his alias, ‘Nicholas Pengarrow’, and failure to notify an address to the police that he stayed for more than seven days in a 12 month period.
Harford pleaded guilty to four of the five counts and not guilty to count three - failure to notify police of being of ‘no fixed abode’ within seven days of his previous notification. In sentencing Harford, Recorder Richard Stead agreed that this count will lie on file.
Prosecuting the case, Laura D’Alessandro told the court how Harford has been a registered sex offender and subject to these notification requirements since a conviction in 2019. She said he had notified police on April 22, 2024 that his new address was the Mounts Bay Inn in Mullion.
Harford had a meeting with a police officer in a public place because he refused the officer’s entry to his address. Ms D’Alessandro said the officer wanted to provide a verbal explanation to him about the requirement to notify police of a change in his address but Harford said he did not need it as he was already aware of it.
However, the owner of the Mounts Bay Inn later told police that Harford had collected his belongings and left the address on July 17 but failed to notify police until July 30. Ms D’Alessandro said his whereabouts had been unknown for a period of two weeks.
She added that Harford started a relationship with a woman on May 11, 2024 and told her his surname was ‘Pengarrow’. She remained unaware of his true surname and his status as a sex offender until she saw a post about him on social media.
Ms D’Alessandro told the court that Harford has a “history of disobedience of court orders”, adding that his previous failure to comply with notification requirements was on July 11, 2023. At the time, he had been in a relationship with a woman and spent a significant amount of time with her, including sometimes taking her children to school with her.
He also stayed overnight on eight occasions, in addition to spending time at the property throughout the day. Part of Harford's notification requirements are that he must also notify police if he resides or stays for more than 12 hours at a place where under-18s reside or stay, with or without an adult, which he failed to do. As a result, he was found guilty at a trial and imprisoned for 26 weeks.
Defending Harford, Ramsay Quaife said that Harford’s recent breaches have been minor and while he had been a day late to notify police of a change in his address, he did not have an address to notify them of. He added that Harford handed himself into police on August 13, 2024, and pleaded guilty to the breaches at the earliest opportunity.
In sentencing, Recorder Stead said Harford has “a string of previous convictions”, including some that involve failing to comply with notification requirements. He added: “These all demonstrate you have a certain contempt for court orders which you feel you don't need to comply with”.
Recorder Stead said Harford has “shown a deliberate failure to comply”, despite previously telling the police that he is well aware of the requirements. While individually, each of these breaches don’t seem to produce a risk, collectively they do, Recorder Stead added.
He said the offences required an inevitable immediate custodial sentence and told Harford that he has a “duty to ensure you don’t come back to court faced with these charges”. Harford was sentenced to 27 weeks imprisonment for each count to run concurrently.
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