Christopher Cooksey [2019] EWCA Crim 1410

The applicant was convicted of false imprisonment, two offences of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault. For the false imprisonment, he was sentenced to an extended sentence of 6 years comprising a custodial term of 4 years, with concurrent determinate sentences for the assaults.

The victim of the offences was the applicant’s partner, and the offending was linked to his jealousy in respect of her previous sexual partners. The applicant assaulted her after reading a message sent before their relationship, commenting about the appearance of a man. He then refused to let her go to work and left her trapped in the flat. In the week following she was only allowed to leave the flat in the company of the applicant and was not allowed to leave his side. She was assaulted on two further occasions and made a complaint to the police when she was hospitalised following a suicide attempt.

It was contended on behalf of the applicant that the judge was wrong to conclude he was dangerous and that the sentence was excessive.

Held: the Court treats more seriously incidents of domestic violence than used to be the case, particularly where it is coupled with coercive and controlling behaviour in a domestic setting. The sentence lay well within the broad parameters of the judge’s sentencing discretion and was neither manifestly excessive nor wrong in principle. The renewed application was refused.