Sick Leeds boyfriend jailed after telling petrified partner: 'I hope you die of cancer'

Vile James Greenall sent a barrage of messages to the petrified woman, even calling her a "dirty little s***".

But the appalling cancer comment was singled out by Judge Andrew Stubbs KC, who jailed him at Leeds Crown Court this week. He told 32-year-old Greenall: "I wish someone would tattoo it on your arm so you can consider every night before you went to bed the disgusting way you have treated your former partner."

The court was told that Greenall and the woman had been in relationship for four months, but had known each other since they were children. She said he was controlling and would "constantly" ask where she was and with whom, prosecutor Bashir Ahmed said.

If she did not respond immediately, he would bombard her with messages. On one occasion, she even took a photo of her friends to prove whom she was with.

On December 28 last year, they went to a soft-play area with her two young children, but Greenall complained about being bored and the couple got into an argument, so she left with her children.

But at around 7pm that night, he began sending her WhatsApp messages, accusing her of cheating. He became more irate when she would not answer, and threatened to "smash her face in".

The next day he went to her address and threw stones at the window to get her attention, demanding to be let in. She phoned the police but he fled. He then started sending messages again, including the vile cancer jibe.

Greenall, of Spring Valley Crescent, Bramley, was arrested but "minimised his involvement", Mr Ahmed said. He even denied voice messages he sent were him.

A victim impact statement said his behaviour left the woman unable to eat or sleep properly, and she was forced to double her anxiety medication. Greenall continued to deny wrongdoing and two trials dates were set until he finally admitted offences of sending malicious communication and stalking involving a fear of violence.

He has numerous previous convictions, including battery from 2011 when he punched a female while drunk, section 20 GBH on an ex partner in 2013 and sending malicious communications to an ex partner last year when he contacted her 118 times from prison.

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Following his arrest for his latest offences, he was recalled to prison for a three-year jail sentence received in 2022 when he was convicted of two section GBH offences in Sunderland.

Mitigating, Michael Walsh said Greenall would not be eligible for release until February next year. He said: "He knows that when he is released he needs to take steps to make better and more appropriate decisions, especially involving females."

Judge Stubbs conceded that due to Greenall's recall to prison, any jail term he handed him would have to start immediately, rather than being consecutive, so would make no difference to his release date.

Labelling him a "coward", he said: "You have an appalling record in relation to how you treat women. You have plainly got a problem. Since 2011 you have been beating and abusing the women in your life.

"If I could lock you up for a long time to stop it happening, I would. Unfortunately, because you have been recalled there's a limit to what I can do."

He jailed him for nine months and gave him a 10-year restraining order to keep him away from his ex partner.