'Nothing more than a common bully': Steroid-user who controlled girlfriends with extreme violence is jailed

Daniel Cartwright hit one of his partners so hard he detached her retina, limited phone calls to her daughter for just a few minutes and stopped another former partner from sleeping until she professed her love for him.

Leeds Crown Court was told that after being arrested for coercive control over one partner, he then started a relationship with another woman and bullied her in the same way.

He would fly into jealous rages if he thought they had looked at other men and forced them to lie about the injuries he inflicted upon them.

Jailing Cartwright for four years, Recorder Darren Preston told him: "You are nothing more than a common bully who has a problem with women.

"Not only are you a bully but a prolific liar only interested in what's best for you."

Heather Gilmour, prosecuting, told the court that unemployed Cartwright, 32, started a relationship with the first victim in January last year and she moved into his flat on Gannet Close, Castleford, when lockdown began.

She stopped answering her phone to friends and family and responding to their messages.

When it was her birthday, her family left presents outside the door of the flat she shared with Cartwright after she failed to return their calls.

It later transpired that she had been in the flat at the time but he would not let her answer the door.

She eventually admitted to friends and family what had occurred, saying she was terrified of him.

She told police he would become jealous of her having male friends, kicked her in bed on occasions, and pulled her across the room by her hair.

He did not like her using her phone, but insisted she had one so he could contact her.

One one occasion he smashed her phone, and on the day she got it repaired, he smashed it again.

He would walk her to work and went everywhere with her, the prosecutor said, and had possession of her bank card, spending her money while he was out of work.

One evening, Cartwright demanded she declare her love for him, and was not allowed to sleep until she did.

While on bail, he started a relationship with the second woman, where the violence continued, including an incident when he dragged her to the floor and stamped on her after losing his temper.

The victim had been warned about him, and even her mother tried to contact the police out of desperation.

The court was told the victim purposely damaged her own phone to stop his accusations of cheating.

She was also only permitted to talk to her own daughter on the phone for five minutes on an evening, and if she went over that limit, he would "get moody".

She used his phone to ring for her anti-depressant medication but he told her to stop taking them because it made her "weird".

The woman later confessed that he would often call her "fat, useless and stupid" and tell her she was a terrible mother.

On one occasion, while they had been at McDonald's in Pontefract, he accused her of looking at another man, so he kicked her in the street, chased her then dragged her to the ground.

He later punched her and broke her nose.

Cartwright broke his knuckle during one attack and later told hospital staff that he had sustained the injury cage fighting.

It was later found out that she had a detached retina from one of the many assaults, which affected her vision.

Her friends described her as becoming like a "scared little girl" after getting involved with Cartwright, who also took her benefit money from her and spent it.

The police were contacted in December last year and she gave a statement, but later retracted it.

This was after Cartwright had phoned her from jail and apologised, telling her he would change.

Cartwright was due to stand trial, but changed his pleas, admitting two counts of using coercive and controlling behaviour.

He also admitted possession of drugs after three cannabis plants were found at his flat.

He appeared in court via video link from HMP Leeds where he has been held on remand since the start of the year.

Chloe Hudson, mitigating, said Cartwright recognised the severity of his behaviour.

She said: "Nothing can justify his behaviour in these two relationships.

"They took part during lockdown when he was not working and was also taking drugs."

She added that the drugs had a "significant impact " on his behaviour.

Recorder Preston also made Cartwright the subject of restraining orders of indeterminate length to prevent him ever contacting the two victims.

He said he viewed the women as "property" and "terrified them on a daily basis".

He added: "Domestic violence is very serious because victims are left feeling constantly on edge and unable to live a normal life."