A man has been sentenced at court and handed a restraining order after admitting controlling and coercive behaviour involving a former partner.
Kirk Rotherham, aged 29 and of Alderney Avenue in Poole, was sentenced for the offence at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 22 March 2019.
He had pleaded guilty to the charge on 21 December 2018, a month before he had been due to stand trial after initially entering a not guilty plea.
Rotherham was sentenced to a community order for three years with a requirement to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work in the community, as well as a rehabilitation activity requirement and condition to attend the ‘Building Better Relationships’ accredited scheme.
He was also made subject to a restraining order for an indefinite period preventing contact with his victim.
Rotherham and his victim had been involved in a 12-month relationship and during that period she described him as displaying jealously around her working alongside male colleagues.
He would dictate when she was able to work and socialise and she felt forced to cancel approximately 50 shifts.
When she was called to a meeting in relation to this at work she cited Rotherham as being the main factor in her cancelling so many duties.
The controlling behaviour continued with Rotherham demanding to know where she was and who she was with, and the victim said she continued contact with him in order to keep him calm and for her own safety.
At times he would demand video calls on the hour, every hour, to verify her whereabouts and her company.
On one occasion the defendant turned up at her university, despite her saying she did not want him to visit.
On a further three occasions he turned up unannounced at her place of work and she would often see his car parked outside her home address.
Having provided her initial statement to police on Wednesday 31 January 2018, the victim returned home and saw the defendant in his car leaving the address. He had also called or texted her 56 times within a period of less than five hours.
Controlling and coercive behaviour was introduced as a criminal offence in December 2015 to close the gap in the law around patterns of controlling or coercive behaviour, which amounts to psychological and emotional abuse, but stops short of physical abuse.
Detective Constable Chris Griffin, of Dorset Police, said: “Nobody deserves to be the victim of this kind of psychological and emotional abuse. We are committed to protecting those who are subjected to this behaviour and giving them the confidence to come forward and report offences.
“I hope this case demonstrates that we will take action against offenders such as Kirk Rotherham.
“I would like to praise the victim in this case for having the courage to come forward and for supporting our investigation.”
If you are experiencing domestic abuse, or if you know someone who is, there are many organisations that can help. Call the National Domestic Violence Helpline on: 0808 2000 247 or visit: www.dorsetforyou.com/dvahelp.
In an emergency – if a crime is in progress or life is in danger – please dial 999. For non-emergencies please visit www.dorset.police.uk/do-it-online or call 101.
