Woman 'kept prisoner' by controlling boyfriend for four days with no food or drink

Jason Power was jailed at Hull Crown Court
-Credit: (Image: Humberside Police)


A menacing and controlling bully kept his terrified girlfriend a prisoner in her bedroom for four days without any food and drink – and even refused to allow her to use the toilet.

Vindictive and abusive Jason Power regularly used violence against the woman and, in the end, she was so frightened of him that she fled out of a window in a desperate bid to escape. Even when he ended up in custody, he repeatedly telephoned her in a selfish and cynical attempt to put pressure on her to drop the charges against him, Hull Crown Court heard.

Power, 31, of 8th Avenue, north Hull, admitted using controlling and coercive behaviour towards his girlfriend between January 1, 2022 and May 21 this year as well as intimidating her as a witness on May 21 this year. Matthew Bean, prosecuting, said that Power and the woman were in a relationship from the beginning of 2022 but, almost immediately, he became controlling and violent towards her.

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Power would make his girlfriend feel that it was for her own good. He refused to allow her to go to the doctor's and to have friends and he locked her in the house. At the beginning of May this year, he refused to allow the woman to leave her bedroom for four days, including to go to the toilet. "He would not allow her to eat or drink anything," said Mr Bean.

On May 21, the woman's son telephoned to say that he had been released from police custody but Power told her that, if he came back there, he would slit his throat. "Ultimately, he said that it was him or her son and so she told him to leave," said Mr Bean. "He told her that she was a sl*t and a wh***."

Power hurled abuse and said that nobody would want her. He punched her twice and pushed her back against a wardrobe, causing scratches and bruises to her head. He banged a free-standing mirror into a wall, causing a hole.

The woman fled from the bedroom into the kitchen. Power refused to let her have her mobile phone and he locked the doors to the house so that she could not leave.

"She was so frightened that she jumped out of a window and asked a neighbour to call the police," said Mr Bean. The woman later flagged down a police car and Power was arrested.

Once he was in the street, Power continued to shout abusive names to his girlfriend. "She didn't get her phone back," said Mr Bean. It was valued at about £1,000.

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While he was in custody, Power made three separate phone calls to the woman. "On each occasion, he asked her to drop the charges," said Mr Bean. "He said that he didn't want to be away from her. He said that he was 'sh***ing himself' and was looking at five years in prison."

Power had convictions for 13 previous offences, including for violence and public disorder. David Godfrey, mitigating, said that Power had pleaded guilty to the offences. "This is unpleasant offending," said Mr Godfrey.

"He understands and appreciates that the relationship is well and truly over. He wishes for the victim in this case to move on with her life."

Power acknowledged that he needed to "grapple with" his problems. "He wishes for me to say sorry on his behalf," said Mr Godfrey. "He acknowledges that custody is inevitable. It is just a question of how long."

Deputy circuit judge Timothy Clayson said that Power regularly used violence and controlling behaviour against the woman. "You effectively imprisoned her for four days and denied her food and drink," he said.

"You smashed a burger into her face. There was further violence from time to time in the form of punching her and making threats of more serious violence towards her and, on one occasion, concerning her son.

"You repeatedly insulted her and scared her. You pushed her against a wardrobe, causing minor injuries to her head.

"While in custody, you phoned her trying to get her to drop the charges against you. The impact on her has been described as substantial."

Power was jailed for two years and 10 months and he was given a 10-year restraining order.