ROTHERHAM MAN JAILED FOR VIOLENT CAMPAIGN AGAINST EX-PARTNER
Ben Dearden, a man from Rotherham, was involved in a campaign of violence against his former partner during October and November 2019.According to court reports, he repeatedly headbutted her, gouged her eyes, whipped her with a phone charger, and even held a pair of scissors and a credit card-sized blade to her throat.
One incident involved Dearden telling his partner, “I’m going to do time for murder because of you” after an attack where he probed her about seeing someone else.
Prosecutor Camille Morland described how Dearden first attacked her in October 2019 by headbutting her and kicking her multiple times, and how the abuse persisted over the following weeks, including an incident in a friend’s house where he became aggressive, dug his fingers into her eyes, choked her, and kicked her.
On another occasion, after ending the relationship, she encountered him on the street, where he demanded to go back to her flat to collect his belongings.
During this visit, he slapped her, punched her, and held scissors and a concealed blade to her neck, causing her to fear for her life and wet herself in terror.
She sustained cuts, bruises, and a puncture wound to her stomach from his attacks.
Police found his partner’s phone and house keys at his property, and he was later found hiding behind a car when police arrived to arrest him.
The court heard that Dearden's acts were highly serious, constituting a dangerous campaign of violence.
He admitted to two counts of common assault and unlawful wounding and was sentenced to 40 months in prison.
The judge emphasized that Dearden, aged 43, has a history of violence, particularly against women, and described his behavior as extremely serious, noting his tendency to transfer blame and his disturbing remarks about murder.
