MAN WHO CONTROLLED, COERCED AND BRUTALLY ASSAULTED THE STUDENT NURSE HE MET ON DATING APP HINGE HAS BEEN JAILED
Joseph Griffiths’ victim courageously testified at Oxford Crown Court, expressing her feeling of being ‘lucky to be alive’ and condemning her ex-partner as ‘evil’.She also voiced concerns that he might harm women again in the future.
On Friday, August 18, the 26-year-old was sentenced to three and a half years in prison by Judge Recorder John Bate-Williams.
The judge stated: “You clearly never learned the very basic rule we all learned in the playground at primary school and that is you never ever hit a woman." He expressed shock at the stark difference between Griffiths’ disgraceful behaviour towards his victim and the more positive descriptions in references about his character.
The court was informed that Griffiths met his victim through the Hinge dating app described by the judge as among the more reputable dating platforms earlier this year.
Their relationship initially appeared normal, with her not noticing any ‘immediate red flags’.
Despite admitting to having served time in prison, Griffiths claimed that the accusations that led to his incarceration were false and based on lies.
Soon after beginning their relationship, Griffiths moved into her home in Banbury.
The first signs of aggression appeared during what was meant to be playful fighting, which triggered a panic attack in her.
Subsequently, in February, her abuser assaulted her multiple times slapping, punching, throttling, and spitting at her.
He also threatened harm to her pet dog and reacted violently whenever it made noise.
She escaped after a severe assault where he punched and choked her repeatedly, managing to call the police by hiding her phone in her underwear.
After reporting him, Griffiths and his friends attempted to pressure her into withdrawing her support for the investigation.
During a confrontation in early March, he shouted at her; she stood her ground despite fears, stating her frustration with the bruises he inflicted.
He responded with a disturbing threat, warning her that if she didn’t stop the police, he would cause even more harm saying, “If you don’t pack it in I will leave more [bruises].” During her victim impact statement from the witness box, she recounted how Griffiths had been constantly present in her home, even entering the bathroom while she showered.
As a student nurse, she felt ‘trapped in my own home, held hostage by a complete stranger’.
She expressed her belief that, had she not escaped, she would have been killed.
She also expressed fears that Griffiths might abuse other women, emphasizing that he ‘isn’t safe to be on the streets’ and that she felt ‘lucky to be alive’.
Describing how he had destroyed her life in just a month, she questioned how someone could behave with such evil intent.
Griffiths, residing on Queens Road in Loughborough, pleaded guilty earlier to charges including controlling and coercive behavior, intentional strangulation, causing actual bodily harm, and witness intimidation.
He has prior convictions for five offenses, all involving violence against women.
In mitigation, Gordana Austin highlighted Griffiths’ mental health issues, remorse, and recognition of his wrongdoing, also noting his past struggles with steroids.
During sentencing, Recorder Bate-Williams acknowledged his ‘genuine remorse’ but remarked that Griffiths had taken over his victim’s home and, metaphorically, her very being.
A lifelong restraining order was issued, prohibiting him from contacting her.
