A man described as a "Jekyll and Hyde monster" has been jailed for 16 years for a brutal assault that left his girlfriend paralysed.
Robert Easom, 57, was sentenced on Friday following an attack on Trudi Burgess which was a culmination of eight years of controlling, coercive and violent behaviour.
Easom will also serve an extended licence period of four years
Ms Burgess, 57, documented the abuse in the notes app on her phone.
In addition to the serious physical assaults, she described what she called “low-level events” that became normalised in which she lived in a cycle where Easom would be verbally or physically abusive, then apologetic and affectionate.
Ms Burgess told Easom on February 17 last year she was finally leaving him but he responded with a ferocious attack on her which severed her spinal cord.
When Easom called for an ambulance he claimed she had “an accident” and “fallen out of bed”.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Ms Burgess said: “This crime has taken away everything I built, planned for and enjoyed.
“It has robbed me of my health, my independence, my ability to care for my family, my career, my freedom and my peace of mind.
“Each day is a physical, emotional and mental battle. This injury is permanent. I will never get back the life I had. I now live with constant pain, with limitations and heartbreak.
“My children and granddaughter have lost the mother and grandmother they once had.
“I am left learning to live a life I didn’t choose – and would not wish on anyone. This isn’t just a physical injury, it is the destruction of a life.
“The pain doesn’t stop with me. The ripples of pain are felt by everyone who loves me and cares for me. I want the court to consider not just the brutality of the attack but the ongoing permanent consequences I now face.
“I also want the court to be aware of my real concern for anyone getting involved with Robert in the future romantically or otherwise. He has a true Jekyll and Hyde personality.
“He could be a loving and attentive partner and then he could switch in a moment into a truly terrifying monster, restraining me, dragging me round the room, screaming threats at me. All of which were dismissed moments later.
“I am living proof of the devastating effects of his uncontrolled bursts of anger.”
Easom, formerly of Longridge Road, Chipping, was convicted by a jury of wounding with intent.
He had previously admitted to engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour between July 2017 and February 2025, as well as two offences of actual bodily harm.
