Cookstown man controlled and treated his ex-partner as if she was his servant, court hears
A Co Tyrone man said by a judge to have treated his former partner in a controlling manner as if she was his servant, has been jailed for a total of seven months.
Jeffrey William Hudson, aged 53, from Edinburgh Drive, Cookstown, admitted charges of non-fatal strangulation, threats to kills, common assault and domestic abuse.
Sentencing him at Magherafelt Magistrates Court, Deputy District Judge Noel Dunlop told Hudson his behaviour had been disgraceful over a period of years.
Mr Dunlop said he had read the pre-sentence report, victim impact report, character references and history to the case which he believed warranted immediate custody.
"The courts must send out a message that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated,” he said.
He also has put in place a two-year restraining order protecting the injured party from harassment.
Bail was fixed for an appeal against the sentence, and Hudson was released pending the hearing.
Prosecuting counsel said on August 27, 2023, the injured party heard loud banging at her front door and opened it to the defendant who had been standing there in an intoxicated state.
The lawyer said the defendant told his partner that she had made his life hell for 17 years and he was going to kill her.
Counsel said with one hand he grabbed her by the throat and pushed her down the hallway, squeezing her neck as they went along, making her think she was going to be killed.
He said following the incident, the injured party told police the domestic abuse she was subjected to made her feel worthless.
The prosecutor said on another occasion, May 8, 2023, as the victim was getting ready to go out to a prayer meeting, the defendant had headbutted her between the eyebrows.
A defence lawyer accepted it was a “serious matter” as highlighted in the victim impact statement, and to which the defendant had pleaded guilty.
He explained the defendant had been in a relationship with the injured party from 2006 until 2023, and he has “a very limited record and nothing of this type”.
Counsel said he had been in the Army for nine years before moving to Northern Ireland and working for the Royal Mail from which he lost his job as a result of this case.
The lawyer said the defendant has mental health issues for which he was taking medication, and “alcohol appears to be a serious problem”.
He said the defendant has taken full responsibilty in terms of everything that has happened.
Handing into court four character references, the lawyer said they suggest that he had acted extremely out of character in terms of his overall life.
Pleading with the court not to impose a custodial sentence, he said Hudson was again in full time employment and receiving counselling for any issues he has.
He added there was no contact between the parties or any type of incident in the last two years.
The judge released Hudson pending appeal with conditions, including that he does not attempt to contact the injured party directly or indirectly.