Sick Leeds boyfriend 'almost killed' diabetic partner by withholding her insulin

Paranoid crack-cocaine smoker Kristian Cook would not let her wear make up, she was prevented from washing her hair or bathing alone, repeatedly accused her of cheating while he spent all of her money on drugs, forcing her to attend food banks.

He was jailed at Leeds Crown Court for a campaign of "physical, financial and emotional" abuse of the woman. She later told police that she was simply "happy to be alive" following his daily torment.

Prosecutor Jessica Lister said the couple had been in a relationship for 14 years. He smoked cannabis, but the woman said his demeanour changed when he began taking crack cocaine. He would stay up all night and began questioning who she had been seeing, checking her phone and accusing her of flirting with people.

He became so unhinged, he was convinced that a pornographic video he was watching was starring his partner, which she obviously denied and angered him. The court heard that he would also hit her without warning or argument, and even set fire to clothes that she had on. Miss Lister said: "She felt trapped and isolated and could not escape."

During a visit to their friend's house in January last year, the 32-year-old once again accused her of cheating and grabbed her arm, placing it behind her back with such force it caused a spiral fracture. He would dictate when she ate, and even took her life-saving insulin. She eventually had to be admitted to hospital in November last year as a result. Doctors said she would have died had the deprivation continued.

Cook, formerly of Garnet Parade, Beeston, but now of no fixed address, was arrested and held on remand. He admitted a charge of coercive control and section 20 GBH for breaking the woman's arm. He also admitted a charge of possessing an offensive weapon after he was seen bizarrely walking through Leeds city centre armed with a baseball bat in October 2023.

He has 10 previous convictions for 16 offences, including violence against a previous partner.

Mitigating, Matthew Stewart said: "He does take responsibility. He was struggling to come to terms with it but fully accepts what he has done."

He said that having been held in custody, he has been working with professionals to address his drug use. He said that Cook suffered with ADHD, PTSD and an unstable personality disorder.

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Jailing him for three years, Judge Tom Bayliss KC told him: "You have a long history of abusing alcohol and drugs, and it's exacerbated whatever issues you have. The more you take drugs the more you become paranoid, and the more violent you become.

"The pre-sentence [probation] report makes unhappy reading. You present a high risk of serious harm to ex or future partners."