CONTROLLING BUILDER, 33, WHO DRAGGED HIS GIRLFRIEND BY HER HAIR AND SMASHED HER HEAD AGAINST THE PAVEMENT AFTER SEEING HER SPEAK TO AN EX-BOYFRIEND IS JAILED FOR TWO YEARS
A 33-year-old man named Ashley Barker, known for his jealous and abusive conduct, was sentenced to two years in prison after a series of violent assaults on his girlfriend, Bethany Evans.Barker initially tracked her down after she fled from a taxi, pushing her over a wall before violently attacking her by pulling her hair and smashing her head into the pavement.
Inside his home, he further assaulted her by throttling her until she could hardly breathe and threatening to kill her with a kitchen knife to her throat.
His prior history of abuse included repeated beatings, strangulation, and coercing her to conceal bruises with makeup under threats.
Following her departure from his house, Barker chased her, dragged her back by her hair, and continued his aggressive acts, including pushing her to the ground, hitting her, and issuing threats of death.
He also used derogatory language to insult her and criticize her social life.
His arrest came after his mother intervened.
He was convicted at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester of coercive and controlling behavior and was sentenced accordingly.
The judge characterized Barker as a societal risk, pointing to the absence of mitigating factors, and imposed a two-year prison term along with a ten-year restraining order to keep him away from Miss Evans.
Barker has prior convictions totaling twelve, with a battery charge dating back to 2005.
During the court session, his defense team expressed regret and highlighted his employment record, but Judge Corbett-Jones emphasized the significant harm caused to the victim and underlined Barker’s ongoing danger to the community.
