BASILDON DOMESTIC ABUSER SENTENCED FOR 'TERRORISING' WIFE
A THUG who began terrorising his wife because he didn't like her dancing has avoided a prison sentence after delays.Myat Htwe, 37, of Cheshire Walk in Basildon, was overheard by a witness screaming at his wife that she didn’t know her place and he was going to kill her.
He punched her about the head, broke her nose and even hit her in the face in front of his own mother.
Judge Richard Conley said Htwe had “relentlessly” subjected his wife to "financial, emotional and physical abuse”.
He described the woman’s victim impact statement - not read in open court - as “harrowing”.
“You terrorised her for the duration of your relationship,” he said.
“You physically intimidated her.
You bullied her.
You degraded her.
You humiliated her.
“You threatened her with violence.
You threatened her with deportation.
You stole from her.
You impacted her financial security.” Htwe pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and controlling and coercive behaviour.
Basildon Crown Court heard Myat Htwe first hit his wife on the eve of their wedding, because he didn't think her dancing was good enough.
(Image: Charles Thomson) In one incident, he screamed at his wife and her sister that they were “bringing shame on their family” because he found some hair in the bathroom.
He ordered her sister to leave the house and was then filmed by internal CCTV punching his wife about the head as she tried to protect herself with a pillow.
On another occasion, their doorbell camera filmed him shoving her and spouting vile abuse.
The couple, both from Myanmar, met in Britain through their families, Basildon Crown Court heard.
He first hit her the night before their November 2019 wedding, said prosecutor Ian Cain, ranting that she wasn’t a good enough dancer and she was going to embarrass him in front of his family.
“She was too embarrassed to call off the wedding at such a late stage,” Mr Cain said.
On one occasion, when she confronted him after he gambled away his entire monthly salary, forcing her to take out a loan to cover household bills, he punched her in the face and broke her nose, the court heard.
She was left with long-term breathing difficulties, said Mr Cain.
Later, while staying with the couple, the woman’s sister heard Htwe threatening to kill her and telling her she didn’t know her place.
He was finally arrested in 2023, but not charged until 2025 – a delay Mr Cain said he could not explain.
In the meantime, the woman had gone to court and got a non-molestation order, which Htwe had twice breached, for which he was already serving a community order.
Judge Conley was told Htwe had been complying with the order, showing "a good prospect of rehabilitation".
“You richly deserve to be sent to prison, not only as punishment for your own actions, but so that the court can make it clear that domestic abuse of this kind is thoroughly shameful and completely unacceptable,” he said.
“I can say without any hesitation whatsoever that had you been charged, as you should have been, with these offences in 2023 when you breached the non-molestation order, and had you been dealt with for all of these matters and the breach together on a single occasion two years ago, my decision would be easy.
You would be going to prison for many months - probably something in the order of 30 months.
What makes my decision all the more difficult is the very substantial delay.” He sentenced Htwe to 21 months in prison and said he was "just persuaded" to suspend it for two years.
He ordered Htwe to complete 240 hours of unpaid work, 30 rehabilitation days and pay his now ex-wife £2,000.
