This is the face of a 'sadistic' man who bullied his girlfriend into wearing a dog collar around her neck twice - and strangled her with it.
Toby Megson, 26, also tightened the collar to strangle his teenage victim, telling her: "That's where you belong, on a leash, because you're a dog". He also made "blood-curdling threats" to her about pouring boiling water or bleach over her and cutting down her uncle's memorial tree, Hull Crown Court heard.
Now, Megson, 26, of Raglan Street, Hull, admitted harassment, breaching a non-molestation order and causing criminal damage between October 22 and 26, HullLive reports. Dale Brook, prosecuting, said that Megson was in a relationship with the 19-year-old Hull woman for about eight months but some of it was "very volatile".
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She believed that he had been smoking Spice and, on October 22, they began arguing. He spat in her hair and face and they continued arguing before making up.
Two days later, the woman was staying at his home and, when they woke up together, he told her that she made him feel sick and that she was disgusting. He told her to get out and he took her mobile phone.
Megson later returned it but became jealous and accused her of seeing other men and he called her a "slag" and a "slut". He lay on top of her and bit her on the neck and tried to make a joke out of it but later told her that he loved her so much.
On October 25, Megson grabbed the woman by the throat and started to squeeze for about 10 seconds until she could not breathe, leaving her crying on the bed. She asked for some of his drink but he refused to give her any of it and poured it onto the floor.
The woman locked him out of the premises but he kicked the door open, damaging the lock. "The defendant made a series of threats to her, including pouring boiling water over her, pouring bleach over her and cutting down her uncle's memorial tree," said Mr Brook.
"He made sadistic threats to humiliate her and cause her fear. He put a dog collar around her neck, causing her to struggle to breathe again." Megson told her: "That's where you belong, on a leash because you're a dog."
On October 26, he went to the woman's flat and again put the dog collar around her neck, restricting her breathing. "She shouted for him to leave and threw the dog collar at him," said Mr Brook. "He called her a 'slag' and left."
The victim said in a statement: "He has completely turned my life upside down. Megson seems to have a hold over me." She said that Megson seemed to be able to be "really nice to me" but then turned back to being "horrible and threatening".
Megson had convictions for five previous offences, including two of possessing a knife and another of possessing cocaine. Nigel Clive, mitigating, said that Megson had shown a degree of remorse and now had an understanding about the effect of his behaviour on the victim. It was a "toxic" relationship.
Megson had spiralled into drunken drug use that was "leading him vastly in the wrong direction" but he apologised for his actions and understood that his behaviour was unacceptable. "He wishes to receive all the assistance that he can," said Mr Clive. "He can see a pattern developing. He just wants to get a job and settle down."
Judge Mark Bury told Megson: "You were unpredictable. One moment, you were being nice, the next minute, you were not. You accused her of seeing other men. You squeezed her neck until she couldn't breathe. You left her crying on the bed."
Megson made "blood-curdling threats" to her which "would make anybody freeze" including throwing boiling water and bleach over her and threatening to cut down her uncle's memorial tree. "If all that wasn't bad enough, you put a dog collar around her neck," said Judge Bury.
"You just don't know how to behave. I don't think you're remorseful at all. There isn't a shred of it in the pre-sentence report. Again you put a dog collar around her neck. It's frightening in the extreme that you could even think of doing these sorts of things to anybody, let alone somebody you are supposed to be loving."
Megson was jailed for 18 months and was given a five-year restraining order.
