Abergavenny man jailed for domestic abuse and robbery

A controlling boyfriend who made his partner’s life so miserable that she felt “she didn’t want to go on” has been jailed for 21 months.

Aaron Norman, 37, from the Abergavenny area, subjected his girlfriend to a 17-month campaign of domestic abuse before robbing her outside a pub in a jealous rage.

Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard how on 25th January, an alcohol-fuelled Norman attacked his partner after becoming jealous whilst they were in a pub with her father. He followed her outside, pushed her to the floor and robbed her of her mobile phone, bank card and keys. The woman suffered “painful injuries” to her body and stomach.

The court was told Norman would regularly abuse the victim at home and call her a “s**g” in front of her teenage daughter. After being released on police bail, he went round to her home and urged her to drop the charges against him, even demanding to go inside to make sure no one else was there.

Norman, of Thomas Hill Close, Llanfoist, pleaded guilty to robbery, controlling and coercive behaviour, and perverting the course of justice.

His barrister Sol Hartley said Norman had never been to prison before and had spent eight months on remand. He asked the judge to consider a suspended sentence, revealing the defendant has a “good job” and adding: “He has been away from his children and they struggle to cope without him.”

However, Judge Jeremy Jenkins told Norman: “You committed the robbery in drink. You bullied this lady to such a shameful degree that at one point she thought her life was not worth living.”

Regarding the perverting justice charge, he said: “You were released on conditional bail but you ignored that and you sought to persuade her not to proceed with her complaint.”

Judge Jenkins added: “These offences are too serious for anything other than an immediate custodial sentence.”

Norman was jailed for 15 months for robbery and 10 months for controlling and coercive behaviour (to run concurrently), plus a consecutive six months for perverting the course of justice – totalling 21 months. He will serve half before being released on licence.

He was also made subject to a five-year restraining order preventing him from contacting the woman.