An abusive man who forced his partner's eight-year-old daughter to drink washing-up liquid and tried to strangle the woman has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.
North Wales Live reported that Caernarfon Crown Court was told Dalton Jefferies, 22, was arrested after the child started to talk about her ordeal at school. He admitted using controlling and coercive behaviour, and child cruelty.
Jefferies, of Cwr Y Coed, Llangefni, was also given a 15-month jail term for the child cruelty, to run concurrently. And he was made subject to a 20-year restraining order not to contact his victims.
North Wales Police welcomed the sentence and restraining order. Detectives said they hoped it will encourage others to report coercive behaviour.
Prosecutor Anna Pope said Jefferies had been in a relationship with the woman for four months last year. It began well but soon deteriorated. He had outbursts of temper and caused her physical and psychological harm.
The prosecutor said he demeaned the woman in front of her friends, banned her from taking her phone with her when she went out of the room, lashed out at furniture and even tried to strangle her. He would self-harm by rubbing himself with sandpaper and opening a car door at 50mph, scraping his foot on the ground. He tried to blame the woman for his actions and for the damage to his trainers.
The child also witnessed the defendant's outbursts of temper and his self-harming and was frightened of him, the court heard. Jefferies would force her cheeks together to open her mouth to make her drink washing-up liquid, causing a stomach ache and making her sick.
But from September last year the girl starting speaking about her experiences at school. The woman too made recordings of the defendant's behaviour. In one clip, he threatened "to chew her tongue off". Police arrested Jefferies last October.
Philip Clemo, defending, said his client, who appeared on a link from HMP Berwyn, had a difficult background and has a personality disorder. He said: "He does not want to use his appalling childhood and mental health issues as an excuse when he's sitting on a bench on a video link talking to a Crown Court judge for the rest of his life. He wants to do better than that."
Judge Timothy Petts told Jefferies: "What you did to both of the (victims) was awful." He inflicted physical and psychological impact on the woman and the psychological impact on both victims is ongoing, he added.
"It's clear you had a very difficult upbringing. But you are now an adult and need to behave rather better. You have shown minimal remorse, blaming (the woman) for what happened for most of the time. If you breach this restraining order a custodial sentence is likely to follow."
Detective Sergeant Adam Sergeant said: "Tackling domestic abuse remains a priority for North Wales Police. This sentence is welcomed because not only does it reinforce that abhorrent behaviour such as this is unlawful and will be punished, but hopefully will build confidence in others to report to us if they themselves, or someone they know is a victim of coercive and controlling behaviour. The restraining order is also welcomed as this will provide additional protection to the victims."
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