TERRIFIED KIDNAP VICTIM JUMPED FROM MOVING VAN TO ESCAPE
A woman panicked and jumped from a moving van after her boyfriend, Thomas Matthew, 33, from Exmouth, assaulted and kidnapped her amid a jealous outburst.The incident occurred after she had been out drinking with friends while watching rugby on TV, which angered Matthew.
When she failed to answer her phone, he threw a breeze block through her window, entered her home, and vandalised photos of her children.
He later tracked her to a pub, where he punched a man talking to her and forcibly took her out of the establishment.
She managed to escape by leaping out of his van, and members of the public who heard her calls for help called police.
Matthew was subsequently arrested.
At Exeter Crown Court, a judge noted Matthew’s pattern of violence when intoxicated.
The woman stated she feared for her life.
Matthew admitted charges including assault, ABH, burglary, and kidnapping but did not receive a prison sentence.
He, a carpenter living on Halsdon Road, had already spent seven and a half months in custody awaiting trial.
He was banned from contacting the victim for ten years and ordered to pay her £2,000 in compensation.
The event took place in October last year.
Prosecutor Mr Paul Grumbar explained that Matthew repeatedly called the woman during the evening and attempted to locate her.
He broke into her house, damaging her children’s photographs, and when found at the pub, he struck a stranger who was talking to her.
CCTV footage showed him pulling her by the hair, assaulting her, and putting her in a headlock, which caused her lip to split.
Witnesses reported hearing her plead for help and refuse to enter Matthew’s van.
He then lifted her over his shoulders and forced her into the vehicle, which she soon escaped from after about twenty yards.
In her statement, she described her fear, stating she was petrified and believed he would have killed her if she hadn’t fled.
The trauma has left her feeling unsafe alone.
Matthew has a history of violent convictions, typically involving trivial disputes.
There were unresolved allegations of domestic violence from the same victim.
His solicitor, Mr Simon Burns, said Matthew believed he was defending her from another man and expressed remorse, denying he tore up photos at her house.
He claimed his intention was to bring her home after she drank late, asserting their relationship was unstable and incompatible.
The judge, Judge Stephen Climie, remarked that Matthew’s violence linked to alcohol placed him in a dangerous category; he warned that excessive drinking and relationship issues often lead to violence.
Matthew had previously served prison time, and probation believed he could rehabilitate.
Consequently, he was sentenced to a three-year community order with 200 hours of unpaid work, 20 days of rehabilitation, and alcohol abstinence monitoring.
Additionally, he was ordered to pay £100 to an assault victim.
