A violent rapist used blackmail tactics on his victim to ensure she did not call the police on him.
Neil Gandy, 29, of East Millwood Road, Speke, pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and one breach of a non-molestation order. However he denied 17 other charges, including 16 counts of rape but was found guilty on all counts after trial.
A trial previously heard that Gandy first met the victim when she was under 16, and upon hearing her age ceased contact. However, he later resumed contact with her.
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Over the course of years he regularly punched, kicked and spat at the victim, once leaving her with two black eyes. He also threatened her with a baseball bat on one occasion, and kicked her in the leg and gave her a black eye.
The victim lied to people around her who noticed bruising to her arms, neck and face. Gandy also verbally abused the vulnerable victim, calling her fat, which caused her to lose huge amounts of weight, and he then verbally abused her for being too skinny.
A trial also heard that Gandy violently assaulted the woman soon after she had given birth. He repeatedly raped the victim, and would use blackmail tactics to ensure she did not call the police on him.
Gandy once told the victim if she did not have sex with him, he would kill her. The offences eventually came to light after the victim broke down and told police about the years of abuse she suffered.
Sarah Holt, prosecuting, read a victim personal statement written by the victim, which detailed the long-standing effect that abuse caused her and said Gandy saw her as “an object he could just do anything to”.
It read: “I felt like I did not have control over my own body. “I can’t get it out of my head.
“The years that were meant to be my best, were my worst.” She said she asks herself “why did I deserve to go through this?”
Rebecca Smith, defending, said Gandy did accept responsibility for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and for breaching a non-molestation order. She explained that he had an extremely difficult childhood, resulting in mental health issues, which he claims include Schizophrenia though no evidence of this was offered to the court.
She said: “He will have an extremely difficult time in custody.” Ms Smith said he plans to use his time in custody well, to work on his mental health, and that he currently has a partner who is supportive of him.
In sentencing, Judge Anil Murray, said that in total Gandy committed 24 instances of rape, and that he used the age difference between himself and the victim to “impress her”.
He detailed that Gandy once kicked the victim down the stairs, and threatened her with a baseball bat. Judge Murray said: “Sometimes you slapped her if she didn’t answer your calls, sometimes you did it for no reason at all.
“You punched her in the stomach but when she was pregnant you hit her in the face instead.” Judge Murray also detailed that the probation service assessed Gandy as being a high risk of causing harm to adults and children, and is a high risk of reoffending.
Gandy was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment, and the statutory victim surcharge applied.
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