A mum has recalled how her murderous ex-boyfriend 'lovebombed' her with affectionate messages in an attempt to manipulate her emotions.
Natalie Wood, 29, met George Bannister on dating site Badoo in April 2022. Their relationship quickly escalated, to the point that 31-year-old Bannister proposed and moved into her home, plying her with loving messages calling her "beautiful" and detailing his infatuation.
However, he quickly became violent towards the mum-of-two, prompting her six-year-old daughter to ask why she had bruises on her face. Yorkshire Live reports that Bannister has been jailed for five years and four months after pleading guilty to two counts of making threats to kill, one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one count of assault by beating.
The thug has also been made subject to a decade-long restraining order preventing him from contacting Natalie. She watched in Leeds Crown Court as he was sentenced, giving her closure after a terrifying saga that she never saw ending.
She said: "I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel after what happened. I didn't want to be here.
"My children have had to deal with seeing their mum with bruises on her face and being in emotional distress. I stood up and read out my victim impact statement and it felt like I gained my power back.
"I needed to do that to have closure - I had to tell him what he put me and my children through. I'm starting my life over again. I lost some of my friends so I'm making new ones. I'm slowly getting there and getting stronger everyday. I feel safe now he's been sentenced - I feel like justice has been served."
Natalie's relationship with Bannister ended after five months, but the vicious bully had a final evil surprise in store as he called her over to his parents' house to discontinue the relationship formally. As she arrived at the house on September 26, he took Natalie's phone and car keys off of her and accused her of cheating.
The Kirklees woman continued: "It went from zero to 100 very quickly. He got a knife from the kitchen and put it to my throat and told me he was going to kill me and bury me in the Moors.
"He headbutted me. He was going to tie me up. I was begging and begging and I managed to calm him down by telling him we would get back together."
Natalie eventually managed to convince Bannister to allow her to leave, and fled home. She said he called her every five minutes as she drove back to Mirfield – and then appeared in her back garden.
She added: "I got back home and I was relieved - I genuinely thought he was going to kill me. I remember crying out to him at the time 'I'm not going to see my two babies again'.
"But then he came to my house in Mirfield and came through my back garden and knocked on the door. I unlocked it to see what he was doing.
"He got into the house and threw a bottle of wine at my wall and then tried to strangle me. I screamed and then he ran out of the house. I ran upstairs, locked myself in the bathroom, and called the police."
Cops from West Yorkshire Police arrived in minutes but by then Bannister had fled. He stayed off the radar for two days, bombing Natalie with messages telling her to drop the charges against him.
"I nearly did, because he was just so in my head," she said. "All of his actions were calculated and he was a master manipulator."
However, with the support of officers and local charity the Pennine Domestic Abuse Partnership (PDAP), she pressed on and Bannister is now behind bars. Natalie is now warning others to be aware of 'lovebombing', and to get help if they think they could be in an abusive relationship.
She summed up: "My advice would be if a person comes across as idolising you and it feels too good to be true it's usually because it is, that's when things can start to turn. If you think you're seeing red flags, get help sooner rather than later and plan your escape properly."
Bannister pleaded not guilty to charges of engaging in controlling behaviour in an intimate relationship, strangulation, and doing an act intending to pervert the course of justice. These charges have been ordered to lie on file – where there is enough evidence to convict, but the not guilty pleas were accepted because of guilty pleas on other charges.
If you feel scared of your partner or if you are worried about someone you know, get in touch with Scotland’s 24 hour Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline on 0800 027 1234, email helpline@sdafmh.org.uk or visit sdafmh.org.uk.
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