PETERBOROUGH MAN JAILED FOR 'ABHORRENT AND HORRIFIC' DOMESTIC ABUSE
A brutal abuser who inflicted severe physical and psychological abuse on his girlfriend has been sentenced to nine years in prison.Wayne Shillingford-Swaby, aged 37 and residing in Peterborough, conducted a sustained campaign of "abhorrent and horrific" abuse over a period of five days.
Detectives from Cambridgeshire Police described the case as the worst of domestic violence they had encountered.
The victim managed to seek help after fleeing to Peterborough City Hospital in May 2020, where medical checks revealed injuries including bruising, an old fractured rib, and a fractured eye socket.
She confided to police that Shillingford-Swaby had scratched her face with a knife, choked her until she lost consciousness, and repeatedly assaulted her with heavy objects, including beating her stomach while she was forced to keep still under a pillow.
The victim described being coerced into acts of servitude, such as kneeling with pins and needles, and practising smiling during arguments.
Shillingford-Swaby denied the allegations during police interviews but was found guilty of five counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) and one count of coercive and controlling behaviour after a trial at Peterborough Crown Court.
The judge described his actions as "repeated assaults, sustained in a cruel way not often seen in this court," and emphasized that Shillingford-Swaby showed no remorse.
He was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment.
Detective Chief Inspector George Coxon stated, 'This case involved some of the worst domestic violence we have ever dealt with.
What Shillingford-Swaby did to this woman was abhorrent and horrific.
No-one deserves to be treated in this way.' He also praised the member of the public who helped the victim and urged others experiencing domestic abuse to seek assistance.
