Woman held prisoner at Wakefield hotel by ex 'thought she was going to die'
A woman said she “thought she would die” and “would never see her children again” when her ex partner kept her prisoner in a hotel room after a night out.
It was only when security staff heard the commotion that the woman was freed from the clutches of Ryan Palmer.
He was jailed at Leeds Crown Court this week after admitting false imprisonment. He had previously denied the offence, and was due to stand trial but failed to turn up for court and was later arrested.
The 38-year-old also admitted common assault and criminal damage.
Jailing him for 21 months, Judge Christopher Batty told him: “This was a deeply unpleasant offence. Such was the trauma you put her through that she, at times, believed she might not live through that ordeal.”
The court was told that the couple had started their relationship in 2022 but he became aggressive and jealous, leading to her ending it in 2023.
There were then periods of reconciliation until September 2023 when he invited her to go for a night in Wakefield and stay at the Campanile Hotel in the city. She agreed but with trepidation, the court heard.
On September 9 that year they went for their night out, drinking in the city centre and then back to the hotel but an argument broke out.
When she went for a bath, he took her clothing and told her: “You are mine until 11am tomorrow morning.” This was inferred to mean the time at which they were expected to check out of the hotel.
He told her she could not leave, punched the TV in their room which caused damage, and also threw her against the wall.
Bizarrely, he then called 999 and told the operator he had assaulted his partner, but gave a false name and did not disclose their location.
Not only did he prevent her from leaving, he would not let her go to the bathroom.
He picked up an empty can and crushed it, using the jagged edges to scratch his own neck and telling her he had “nothing left to lose”.
The woman later said she felt he would kill both of them. He told her he had planned the night and he could “do what he wanted” until they had to leave the room the next morning.
Hearing the disturbance, the night porter raised the alarm and the police were called, but Palmer fled before they arrived.
He was later interviewed by police and gave a prepared statement, denying the offences.
In a victim impact statement read to the court by prosecutor Joseph Bell, the woman said Palmer had “broken me in so many ways”.
She added: “I believed he was going to kill me and never see my children again.”
The woman said her life had changed “beyond recognition” and continued to suffer nightmares.
Palmer, who had previously lived in Pontefract but is now of no fixed address, appeared in court via video link from HMP Leeds.
He has 21 previous convictions for 47 offences, including thefts and drugs. He was jailed in 2015 for ABH.
Mitigating, Gabrielle Coates said Palmer now claimed he did not mean for the events to happen, and said it had been a “good night” until then.
She said he had mental health problems, demonstrated by his attempt to hurt himself with the can, but this was dismissed by Judge Batty as an emotional ploy to simply guilt trip his victim.
Judge Batty told Palmer: “Your only aim was to make her suffer. The violence used on her was to strike fear into her.
“You had a chance to admit this offence at the first opportunity, but it was one you would not take. You strung it all out for as long as you could.
“I struggle to accept your remorse is genuine. I’m afraid this is just too serious that only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified.”
He gave him an indefinite-length restraining order to keep him away from his ex partner.