Llantwit Major Man Jailed for Strangling Pregnant Partner

A man with a history of domestic violence has been jailed for 18 months after strangling his partner while she was 32 weeks pregnant. ⚖️

Harley Mathews, 26, from Llanmaes Road, Llantwit Major, attacked his then-partner on 3rd July after becoming convinced she had been cheating on him – based solely on the amount of time she spent on her phone. Cardiff Crown Court heard he had no evidence of any infidelity.

During the attack, Mathews pushed the woman to her chest, causing her to fall backwards, before strangling her to the point where she couldn’t breathe.

In her victim statement, the woman said: “I feared for my life. I thought I was going to die. I was carrying his child at the time. It’s absolutely sickening.”

Two days later, after Mathews demanded she return home, the woman blocked him and went to stay with her grandmother before contacting police. Mathews initially denied the assault but later pleaded guilty to intentional strangulation.

The court heard Mathews has six previous convictions for 13 offences, including battery, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and affray – some committed in domestic settings.

Judge Eugene Egan told Mathews: “What sort of man does that to their partner? It is abysmal, disgraceful, and shameful. You were a bully and a coward for what you did and you ought to be ashamed of yourself. A real man does not act that way with his partner.”

Mathews was sentenced to 18 months immediate imprisonment and given a five-year restraining order.