Controlling man strangled, punched, kicked, and bit partner

A controlling man strangled his partner then persuaded her to leave hospital early. Caernarfon Crown Court heard 40-year-old Keith Cranley had been in an on-off relationship with a woman since March 2022 but threatened her repeatedly with violence and became very controlling.

They were at the defendant's flat in Rhyl when the woman got a text from another man, who was the father of her children, on September 3 last year. Prosecutor Patrick Gartland said Cranley became angry and pushed her against a wall, holding her throat. He punched her in the head, slapped her ear, and bit her left cheek.

She managed to get out and go to a friend's home. The friend found her distressed and saw injuries on her face and arms.

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Less than three weeks later Cranley and the woman were about to go to bed when he accused her of sleeping with her ex-partner. He assaulted her again by pinning her against a window.

She dropped to the floor but he punched and kicked her. She was bleeding from the mouth and said she would have to go to hospital but he punched her in the face.

He told her that "if he got caught she'd be dead," said Mr Gartland. Nevertheless she did go to a hospital. A triage nurse found she had bruising on her torso and arm and a swollen face and throat. The court heard she was told there would be an eight-hour wait for treatment.

During that time Cranley texted her, blaming his "schizophrenia" for his actions, and persuaded her to leave the hospital. He was arrested and told police she was "a liar and a cheat" and claimed she had caused her injuries herself.

In a victim impact statement she said she felt Cranley had been "let down by health services". When his mental health "flares up" he becomes violent and aggressive, she said. However she also said she fears the abuse she encountered at Cranley's hands will "stay in her head" and that she is now wary of forming relationships.

Gareth Bellis, mitigating, said her injuries from the first incident were "minimal" injuries compared with what is normally seen in cases of ABH. Judge Timothy Petts noted that a psychiatrist found the defendant has "some sort of psychotic disorder" but can't say which one specifically and that it is exacerbated by substance misuse. This personality disorder gives him a "reduced tolerance to frustration", added the psychiatrist. The judge said while Cranley's mental health background did affect his guilt to an extent he had been violent twice towards the same woman including by strangling and biting her.

He jailed Cranley of Wellington Road, Rhyl, for two years and three months for assault causing ABH. He also gave him two sentences of 21 months and 10 months, both to run concurrently to the main sentence, for intentional strangulation and a second count of assault causing ABH respectively. The defendant, who pleaded guilty to all three counts, was also made subject to a 10-year restraining order in respect of the victim.

If you or someone you know is affected by domestic abuse visit the Live Fear Free website or call the helpline on 0808 80 10 800.