A man threatened to take his ex’s body in the boot of a car and throw her off the Humber Bridge.
It was one of a number of obscene messages sent by Christopher Dowse to his former partner and he pretended to be someone else in phone messages to get information about her. Dowse, 39, of Oxmarsh Lane, New Holland admitted stalking his former partner. He denied a charge of strangulation but was found guilty by a jury at a trial at Grimsby Crown Court.
Prosecuting, Benjamin Donnell said the vile messages were sent between January 29 and 31 last year and also in March last year. He pretended to be another man in order to seek information from the complainant, the prosecutor said.
Mr Donnell described the messages as “nasty, derogatory and chilling” and included one about “erasing her from history.” He said the strangulation offence lasted between two to three seconds and came after the woman had accused him of taking drugs.
Mr Donnell said Dowse had three previous convictions for seven offences including common assault. Reading from the victim impact statement, he told how the woman felt “worthless and broken” and was always “treading on egg shells fearing for her life.”
Mitigating, Craig Lowe submitted references on behalf of his client including a work colleague who described him as “level-headed, respectful, trusted and with a can-do attitude. Mr Lowe said alcohol had featured in previous offending and his client has now significantly reduced his alcohol intake.
The defence barrister said the supervisor for a roofing firm had “turned his life around.” Sentencing Dowse, Judge Gurdial Singh said the woman had raised concerns about his drinking, drug abuse and gambling. He said Dowse had “snapped” and strangled her momentarily. The judge said the messages he sent last year were vile. He added he viewed the remorse as superficial.
“Behind closed doors you are a nasty bully towards women,” he said. “You put your hands around her neck and did so deliberately and she explained she had some difficulty breathing. It was short-lived and you desisted. But in my view, such behaviour is serious and anyone strangling a female in a relationship, should expect an immediate custodial sentence,” the judge added.
He jailed Dowse for a total of 15 months. He imposed a Restraining Order not to contact the woman directly or indirectly for three years.