A former British Army sniper who beat up and throttled his girlfriend has walked free from court after arguing he was haunted by the horrors he witnessed in Afghanistan. Junior Fordwor - described as a 'manipulative narcissist' - belittled and abused his 27-year old partner when she went out with her friends, a court heard.
During one incident, ex-Infantryman Fordwor, 26, pushed her to the floor of her apartment in a fit of fury after spotting she had 'liked' another man's picture on the social media platform Instagram, a judge was told.
In another, he trashed her kitchen and threatened to kill her before choking her as she lost consciousness whilst in a third incident, he threw her against a bedpost and smashed her TV. The court heard she eventually contacted police after her mother alerted the authorities.
In a statement read to the court she said: ''Junior was my boyfriend for two years, it was on and off for a while and there was a lot of game playing, but we finally got together. His narcissistic traits made me feel like I was always the problem. He lied to me a lot. I have to mention the love I had for Junior and I was heartbroken by the whole affair.
"Now these days I still think about it, maybe not as much as before. Time is helping in the healing process. I have definitely changed since then and will never let anyone manipulate me like he did and I certainly won't let anyone lay their hands on me like he did."
At Manchester Crown Court Fordwor, of Forum Grove, Higher Broughton, Salford, who served with the Royal Fusiliers, pleaded guilty to charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and criminal damage. He was given a 21 month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after a judge accepted he was suffering PTSD linked to his Army experiences. He was also ordered to pay his ex-girlfriend £380 in compensation.
The court heard he has since attained a degree in law at Liverpool John Moores University. Betsy Hindle, prosecuting said: "The defendant met her online in April 2020 through a dating app but the relationship didn't formalise until April 2021.
"However he regularly met her at her apartment in Salford and he eventually moved into a flat with her. The first incident of violence occurred on the 21st of September 2021 when the defendant became jealous after seeing her like another man's picture on Instagram. This led to a violent outburst, where he shouted at her and pushed her to the floor. Immediately after this, he denied assaulting her and instead of asking if she was ok, he belittled her.
"The second incident, was the most serious throughout the relationship. On the 20th of November 2021, she had been on a night out in Manchester with her friends. The defendant had been contacting her repeatedly asking where she was and what time she would be back. He also sent pictures of him on her balcony, in an effort to exert control over her.
"She went back with her friend to her house and charged her phone so she could reply to the defendant. She told the defendant where she was and he subsequently decided to turn up to the friend's address and wait outside.
"She decided to go outside to talk to the defendant, against the advice of her friend. The defendant was then aggressive with her and shouted at her repeatedly. He also poked her hard in the chest and slapped her around the face. When both of them got back to the flat, the defendant wrecked her kitchen and threw items from the worktops on the floor. At one point he even tipped cereal on the floor so to show control.
"After this, the defendant threatened to kill her and then put his hands around her neck and strangled her. She lost consciousness for a few seconds. He assaulted her again on the 5th of December 2021. The defendant saw that she received a message from a male friend on her phone and he responded by throwing her to the floor and then grabbed the back of her neck and threw her against a bedpost.
“Finally, on the 12th December 2021, the defendant turned up to the flat unannounced and was instantly verbally abusive to her. He punched her TV, causing permanent damage, and threw various items around the flat."
In mitigation defence counsel Charlotte Atherton said: "The question for the court is how a young man in his twenties studying law at John Moores University ends up in a situation like this. He has limited emotional maturity and difficulty with thinking skills.
"He had a traumatic childhood in which he lost his mother to drugs and his father to the prison system, who was dealing drugs. This led to him being put in the care of his grandmother, who used violence as a form of discipline. When this violence became apparent he was taken into the care of social services at the young age of 13. To make matters worse he later witnessed one of his childhood friends commit suicide.
"He left school with one GCSE and decided to join the army at 16. He remained a member of the Royal Fusiliers until the age of 22. During his service, he worked as a specialist infantryman in reconnaissance and sniping. He was also stationed in Afghanistan at 18 and this had a profound impact on his mental health. He went AWOL and, as the army later confirmed, suffered PTSD from his experiences.
"He pleaded guilty knowing that this would extinguish any chance of him pursuing a future career in law but I am told that he now also wants to study economics. This is a man who can take positive steps and when given challenges he can rise to them."
Sentencing, Judge Elizabeth Nicholls told Fordwor: "These matters show a disturbing pattern of violence that you subjected your ex-partner to. In the evidence, you seem to be very much in control and visibly unpleasant towards Ms Render.
"You were undoubtedly affected by the violence you witnessed in Afghanistan but perhaps the greatest irony of this case is that you were there to fight for the freedom of women but when you came home you showed very little respect for the women you went out to protect.
"However, I do see you as a prime candidate for rehabilitation, as shown by your recent academic endeavours. Unless you address these issues, no relationship you get into will ever work and it is likely that you will end up in front of the court again."
Fordwor was also ordered to complete 25 rehabilitation days and 100 hours of unpaid work.
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