TEEN SENT TO PRISON FOR ABUSE OF GIRLFRIEND
A teenager accused of both physically and mentally abusing his partner received a 30-month detention sentence today.The 19-year-old, Kieran Denne, was found to have exerted controlling behavior over his partner throughout their two-year relationship in Bedford, which lasted until April of this year.
Prosecutor Martin Mulgrew told Luton Crown Court that Denne would often lash out at his partner when in a bad mood, using punches, slaps, kicks, head-buts, and strangulation.
The woman documented her injuries on her phone, which were shown during the court proceedings.
Denne, who was seen wearing a white crucifix necklace in the dock, caused injuries such as a cut to her ear, bite marks, bruises, redness, and cuts to her neck, as well as bruises on her arms and back.
According to the prosecutor, “He once held a cigarette lighter against her back, resulting in a blister.
He also bit her leg and nose, and on one occasion, struck her so forcefully that blood was drawn.” On January 15, 2023, at their home in Bedford, he bit her face and nose and dragged her by her clothes, leading to carpet burns.
The incident on April 7, 2023, involved her planning to drive a friend home, but when she returned, Denne was upset she had not bought him alcohol.
He reacted furiously, accusing her of sleeping with other men, and threw a lighter at her, causing her ear to bleed.
He then pinned her on the bed, wrapped his hands around her neck, and repeatedly said “kill,” but she managed to fight him off and leave.
He followed outside, threatened her car, and head-butted her.
She retreated inside, locking herself in the bathroom, where she called her mother.
Denne attempted to break in with a Stanley knife but stopped when her mother arrived.
Denne, based in Bedford but without a fixed address, admitted to seven offences including coercive control, causing actual bodily harm three times, common assault, strangulation, and property threats.
In a statement, the victim said she suffers nightmares, flashbacks, and emotional distress, feeling like she has been broken both physically and mentally, and cannot trust others.
Defending him, Emily Mattin mentioned his time in custody and a troubled background, including being expelled at 14.
She asked for a community sentence, noting he was only 17 at the time.
However, sentencing judge Bal Dhaliwal-Thomas pointed out the extent of her injuries and the distress caused, stating that only a custodial sentence would suffice considering the gravity of his conduct.
A restraining order was issued for ten years, forbidding Denne from approaching within 200 metres of the victim’s home or workplace.
