Sunderland thug fractured partner's jaw and choked her while on bail for earlier domestic violence

Scott Gibson, jailed for attacking his partner
-Credit:Northumbria Police


A domestic violence thug who choked his partner and fractured her jaw while on bail for an earlier attack has been jailed.

The victim had met Scott Gibson through a mutual friend in April last year and they began a relationship. She said he was nice at first but after a couple of weeks he began to change.

Kevin Wardlaw, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court: "He was jealous and insecure and made her delete male friends from social media or block them, saying if she didn't, he would kill her."

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In early May, she told him she wanted to leave his home to go and see her family but he stood by the door and hid the key, preventing her from leaving. He then flipped over a sofa she was on and struck her to the back of the head causing swelling.

She stopped seeing him after that but resumed the relationship after he apologised. On May 14 they were out in Sunderland city centre and he began talking nonsense in a pub after taking cocaine.

He then went on to swill her with his drink and struck her, causing her to lose consciousness and fall to the floor. When she came round, they got the bus to her sister's home but he dragged her back from her door by her hair and threw her into a garden gate.

As a result of those assaults, she suffered two black eyes, swelling to her head and a popped lip. Gibson was arrested and released on bail but then went on to attack her again days later.

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On May 19, after a conversation online, the woman agreed to meet him in a pub in Sunderland. She said he was calm at first but his behaviour changed and he became aggressive and he was asked to leave the pub.

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As they walked to another pub, he began shouting at her again and struck her, causing her to fall to the ground. She got up and tried to board a bus but he said that if she did he would "choke her out and go to jail".

The court heard heard she tried to press 5 on her phone to call police but was unsuccessful. She managed to calm him down and they boarded a bus.

Mr Wardlaw said he kissed her but then made threats to rape, strangle and kill her. That was overhead by a member of the public, who reported it to the police.

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When they got off the bus, he again threatened to rape her before lashing out and repeatedly punching her to the face. She suffered a fractured jaw which required surgery under general anaesthetic.

Mr Wardlaw said: "He put his hands around her neck and applied pressure, strangling her for what she thought was two to three minutes." She broke free and a passing motorist came to her assistance and took her home.

In a victim impact statement, she said: "I'm absolutely terrified of him and I'm embarrassed to say I've been that scared I wet myself. It makes me upset and annoyed he could do this to me. It should not happen with someone I trusted and was in a relationship with."

She added that it had affected her ability to look after her children properly and said they didn't understand why she was unable to cuddle them for a time.

Gibson, 23, of Pancras Road, Plains Farm, Sunderland, who has seven previous convictions, including for possessing an imitation firearm, battery on a former partner and assaulting police, pleaded guilty to GBH, intentional strangulation, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two counts of assault by beating. He was jailed for three years, nine months and given a ten year restraining order.

Fiona Lamb, defending, said Gibson has written a letter said he feels guilty and regretful for his behaviour. She added: "He describes himself as a weak-willed with a fragile mentality." She added that he had an emotionally unstable personality disorder and was struggling with an alcohol issue.