DOMESTIC ABUSER JAILED FOR MORE THAN FOUR YEARS
A perpetrator of domestic abuse has been sentenced to over four years in prison after multiple assaults, strangulation, and threats that left his girlfriend fearing for her life.Aaron Patching, a 29-year-old bricklayer, was convicted of these violent acts committed at her home in Witham.
At Chelmsford Crown Court, Patching, who appeared via video from HMP Chelmsford, was described as highly violent, with the woman still fearing he could harm or kill her upon his release.
Prosecutor Kellina Gannon stated that the couple had known each other since March 2022 and started a relationship in May, which later deteriorated.
Instances of violence included an episode where, after she asked him to leave her bedroom, Patching lost control and kicked the door down.
On February 2 this year, he arrived at her house and, upon sensing her discomfort regarding his mood, reacted violently by slapping her three times, shoving her, and headbutting her.
The following day, he forcibly entered her home by removing a glass panel from a rear door, chased her upstairs, and pinned her against the bed.
During this confrontation, he bit her cheek and used a phone charger cable to strangulate her briefly.
After spending the night at her place, Patching returned and made further threats of violence, including setting her on fire with a lighter and deodorant, and shook her so hard she bit her own cheek.
When she contacted authorities, Patching was heard threatening to kill her before fleeing to his mother's residence.
He was arrested and admitted to multiple charges, including three counts of actual bodily harm and one of intentional strangulation, alongside criminal damage, all while serving a suspended sentence.
His legal representative noted his good behaviour in custody and his wish to reconnect with his three daughters post-release, expressing remorse on his behalf.
The judge, Tom Day, sentenced Patching to three years for the strangulation, plus one year and four months for the assaults, combining this with a previously imposed suspended sentence of equal length.
The sentence for strangulation is scheduled to run consecutively, with the assault sentences running concurrently.
He received no separate punishment for damage to property.
Furthermore, Patching is subject to a restraining order preventing contact with his victim and has been ordered to pay £150 in prosecution costs.
