“Violent and controlling” teen sent to prison for abuse of girlfriend
A violent and controlling teenager who “physically and mentally” broke his partner was sentenced to 30 months’ detention today.
Kieran Denne, 19, controlled his victim “like a puppet” for the two years they were together in Bedford until April this year.
Prosecutor Martin Mulgrew told Luton Crown Court that when Denne’s mood darkened he would punch and slap her, kick, head-butt and strangle her.
The victim catalogued her injuries on her phone, which were shown to the judge.
Denne, who wore a white crucifix around his neck in the court dock, caused a cut to her ear, bite marks, bruises and red marks to her, cuts to her neck and bruises to her arms and back.
Mr Mulgrew said: “Once he held a cigarette lighter on her back causing a blister. He bit her leg and nose and, on another occasion, slapped her with such force he drew blood.”
On 15 January 2023, they were at home in Bedford when he bit her on the face and nose. He dragged her by her clothes causing carpet burns to her feet.
At 8.30 at night on 7 April this year, she said she was going to give a friend a lift home and he asked her to buy him some alcohol. When she returned he was angry that she had forgotten to go to the shop.
“He was irrational and accused her accused of sleeping with other men. He threw a lighter at her head, causing her ear to bleed,” said Mr Mulgrew.
He got on top of her on the bed and wrapped his hands around her neck repeating the word “kill.”
The victim managed to fight him off and left the house. He followed, threatened to damage her car and head-butted her.
She managed to get back inside and lock herself in the bathroom where she called her mother. Denne used a Stanley knife to try to cut his way into the room but stopped when her mother arrived.
Coercive control
Denne, from Bedford but of no fixed address, appeared for sentence having pleaded guilty to seven offences: coercive controlling behaviour, three charges of causing actual bodily harm, common assault, strangulation and threatening to destroy property.
In a victim’s personal statement, the woman said she has trouble sleeping, suffers nightmares and flashbacks and feels like crying all the time. She said: “He has physically and mentally broken me. I will never be able to fully trust anyone. He controlled me like a puppet for so long.”
Defending, Emily Mattin said he had spent the past three and a half months in custody with 22 and a half hours a day in a cell. She said he had a difficult upbringing and had been expelled from school at the age of 14.
He was only aged 17 when he offended and asked for a community sentence.
But Judge Bal Dhaliwal-Thomas told him: “She (the victim) suffered multiple injuries.
“I have seen photographic images, which are distressing to view. There are clear teeth marks on her skin and multiple injuries about her body.
“You caused her to fear violence on many occasions. Your offending is so serious only a term of imprisonment is merited.”
The judge made a 10-year restraining order banning him from going within 200 metres of the victim’s home or work.
By South Beds News Agency
Edited by Paul Hutchinson for the
Bedford Independent
