A violent thug throttled and stamped on his girlfriend in a campaign of 'degrading' abuse. Leon John Richmond carried out a string of "cowardly" attacks on Chloe Robinson, including pouring Coca-Cola over her in a city centre hotel.
Today, the 26-year-old, of Bolton, was jailed for 28 months after he pleaded guilty to coercive and controlling behaviour, and common assault. Richmond's ‘campaign’ began in October 2020, when he moved in with partner Chloe. The pair had been dating since May of the same year.
His first attack on Chloe came when he ‘accused her of sending intimate pictures to another man, which she did not’, prosecutor David Farley said. He added: “He strangled her and called her a s**g. He said she ‘brings it on herself’. He also dragged her around by her hair.
“She went to the bathroom, where he was trying to choke her and he stamped on her ribs.” Defending Richmond, who appeared in Minshull Street Crown Court via video link from Forest Bank prison today, was Rachel White. She said: “There appears to be some genuine remorse.
"The defendant appears to have matured somewhere. He has undertaken a course to address violence to address the issues he has with his temper.”
However, His Honour Judge Edwards told Richmond that his best mitigation was admitting his offences, describing his actions as ‘cowardly’. Sentencing Richmond, of Victoria Grove, Bolton, he said: “Leon Richmond, you are still only 26 and for a young man at that age to look at your record and to look at what you did to Chloe is alarming, to say the least. Your best mitigation is that you pleaded guilty and did not put Chloe through it.
“This was nothing short of a campaign of degrading, demeaning behaviour to Chloe. Not only did you demean her, [you demeaned] yourself as a man. It is cowardly.
"It is not acceptable. It is made worse because it is a partner — because they are not in a position to fight back and it is against someone who is entitled to feel safe and secure under the roof you are in.
“That’s a total sentence of 28 months which you will have to serve half. There will be an indefinite restraining order. When you come out of custody, behave properly to women.”
One organisation in Greater Manchester that provides support for women in abusive relationships is the Pankhurst Trust, which incorporates Manchester Women’s Aid. It runs a local domestic abuse phone line on 0161 636 7525 and has an online service, too. th
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