LONGHOPE MAN JAILED FOR ABUSIVE AND VIOLENT ATTACKS ON PARTNER
Dean Powell, 51 years old from Longhope’s Ross Road, has been sentenced to four years in prison with an additional three-year extended license period for his violent and threatening conduct against his partner.The court reviewed his history of assault, including an incident where he shattered a glass into her head and beat her unconscious.
In 2023, he continued his violent behavior by throwing a vacuum cleaner at her, causing a bruise, and hitting her with a TV remote, which resulted in a bleeding wound and a permanent scar on her forehead.
In a particularly severe episode, Powell brought a machete to a remote farm where he was staying and threatened to cut off her fingers, hand, and head.
He demanded she place her hands on the table for him to chop her fingers off; when she refused, he told her to put her head down, then further assaulted her by pulling her hair, sitting on top of her, and forcing her head into the ground.
The court was shown graphic evidence of his violence, and Judge Rupert Lowe KC commented: "You armed yourself with a machete and demanded she put her hand on the table so you could chop her fingers off, then threatened to decapitate her.
These were serious threats intended to instill fear of injury or death, which she experienced." Powell’s criminal history features 41 convictions for a total of 102 offences, many involving violence towards women, including headbutting, punching, biting, and knife threats.
During proceedings, Powell denied his involvement numerous times, but the court accepted the victim's testimony.
Despite breaching a non-molestation order repeatedly, restrictions on contacting or visiting her, the court sentenced him to four years, with a three-year extended license, and issued a 12-year restraining order to protect the victim from contact or proximity.
PC Ryan Foxall remarked on the seriousness of Powell’s actions, saying: "The injuries and conduct inflicted by Powell are among the most serious and graphic I’ve witnessed as a police officer." He highlighted the victim’s courage in giving evidence, which played a key role in the case.
Powell’s long history of violent abuse, including assaulting other women in past incidents, led the court to deem him a continuing danger to women and society, emphasizing the risk he poses for future harm.
