Paranoid former soldier tied partner up for 12 hours and beat her, Leeds Crown Court hears

A paranoid former soldier who tied up his partner for 12 hours and beat her, knocking out her teeth, has been jailed.
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Damien Lee Carter, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, put the woman through a three-month campaign of fear and persistent violence that started within days of them getting together in February.

Leeds Crown Court was told that over a five-week period, the 31-year-old would strangle her, punch and kick her and spit in her face on a daily basis, accusing her of cheating on him.

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He also burned her clothes and her books insisting she was not allowed to read, and withheld her medication for an auto-immune illness which left her bedridden for days.

Carter was jailed for coercive control.Carter was jailed for coercive control.
Carter was jailed for coercive control.

He admitted a charge of coercive control and appeared in court via video link from HMP Leeds where he has been held on remand since his arrest.

He was handed two years’ jail and given a restraining order of indeterminate length to keep him away from the woman.

Prosecutor Gareth Henderson-Moore said the first incident involved him pushing her down steps in the garden before dragging her back into the property.

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Days later he started another argument and pushed her up against the wall, placing his hands around her throat.

Then just days afterwards, while he was in drink, he spat in her face accusing her of being unfaithful.

Mr Henderson-Moore said: “The next day it became more sinister, he tied her up for over a 12-hour period, punching her, kicking her and choking her.

"She lost consciousness about a dozen times and was not allowed to leave.”

He said that the woman lost two teeth in the ordeal.

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He threatened to kill her if she left him and told he would have her gang raped.

She eventually mustered the courage to walk out on their relationship and he made one final threat about seeing her after she gave him back his keys.

The court was told he has 10 convictions for 16 offences, including violence and criminal damage.

Mitigating, James Holding said that Carter, of Parkway, Morley, had himself been a victim of domestic abuse as a child.

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He said that Carter’s offending only began after he was discharged from the Armed Forces in 2012, and turned to alcohol to cope with flashbacks from his time serving in the Middle East.

He had also made several attempts on his own life.

Although not formally diagnosed, Mr Holding said he had symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Mr Holding added: “To his credit, he accepts the Crown’s case.

"He did not have the best start in life and witnessed and was the victim of domestic violence at the hands of his own father.

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“He is disgusted by his actions and has remorse and regret. He needs to address the mental health problems that brought him to drink in the first place.”

The judge, Recorder Ben Nolan QC accepted Carter suffered form PTSD, despite the lack of diagnosis.

He said: “Your behaviour was unremitting over as substantial period and involved many occasions when you physically abused her.”