SOUTH ESSEX MECHANIC SENTENCED FOR COERCIVE BEHAVIOUR
A mechanic has been convicted of subjecting his victim to coercive and controlling behaviour.The offender, Joseph Thomas, 37, had 18 previous convictions for 29 prior offences, many involving violence against women, although jurors were only told of three of those convictions as evidence of his bad character.
He was convicted after hearing he pestered his victim for sex, pressured her to participate in simulated rapes, and verbally abused her if she declined.
He was acquitted of rape and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He was sentenced to 20 months at Basildon Crown Court for coercive and controlling behaviour, having already served six on remand.
The judge noted that the victim suffered fear, insomnia, anxiety, and depression due to his treatment.
Messages revealed he enjoyed beating women with whips until they bled and cried, taking pleasure in watching bruises erupt on their skin, but Thomas insisted all his sexual exploits relied on consent.
The victim recounted waking to find him having sex with her in her sleep, which she told the jury was rape, though he was acquitted of that charge.
The court heard about his past violence, including convictions in 2007 and 2009 involving attacking and smashing the property of a woman he had relations with.
His previous offences involved violence against women, and he was sentenced by Judge Siew Loke to 20 months, having served six months already.
