Stefan Ramsden (Image: LinkedIn)
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Stefan Ramsden, 34, from Newport, has been sentenced to 10 years after subjecting his partner to a sustained campaign of violence, threats and psychological abuse spanning 17 months.
Cardiff Crown Court heard how Ramsden controlled and terrorised the woman throughout their three-year relationship – and had a previous conviction for a violent attack on a former partner.
Judge Paul Hobson told Ramsden he was “utterly obsessed” with the complainant, adding: “Your victim describes herself as having to walk on eggshells trying not to trigger your temper.”
The flamethrower attack
Prosecutor Leah Pollard described how in December 2023, Ramsden dragged his victim across the room following her works Christmas party. He then created a makeshift blowtorch by spraying a can of Lynx deodorant on to a lighter, directing the flame towards her face.
“The victim could feel the heat of the flame on her face,” Miss Pollard told the court. “She was hysterical and frozen in fear.”
Ramsden then went on to smash up her flat during a 40-minute ordeal. A video of the aftermath was played to the court, in which the woman could be heard saying: “I thought I was going to die.”
He later contacted her in tears and told her he “had a monster inside him”.
Escalating violence
The abuse did not stop there. Ramsden would punch his victim and on one occasion threatened to kill them both as he drove along the M4 motorway through Newport and Chepstow for nearly an hour, vowing to crash the car.
He also told her that his friends thought she was a “sl*t”, regularly demeaning and humiliating her, the court heard.
Previous conviction
Ramsden already had a history of violence towards women. In 2020, he was jailed for three years for a serious assault on a different girlfriend, during which he threatened to blind her before pointing a gun at her cheek and vowing to kill her mother and grandmother.
Manipulation from custody
When the victim eventually went to the police, Ramsden was arrested and remanded in custody. Even from jail, he attempted to manipulate her into dropping the charges. Miss Pollard said he wrote a letter addressed to their dog, Otis, knowing the victim would read it. In the letter, “Otis was asked to tell ‘Mummy’ that he didn’t deserve to be in prison”.
Sentencing
Ramsden admitted engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour, threats to kill, and witness intimidation. The offending also placed him in breach of a suspended sentence from 2023 for supplying balloons, also known as laughing gas or NOS.
His barrister, Clare Wilks, asked the court to give her client appropriate credit for his guilty pleas, adding: “The defendant has shown genuine remorse for his victim.”
Judge Hobson sentenced Ramsden to a total of 10 years, comprising five years in prison plus an extended licence period of five years. He was also made the subject of an indefinite restraining order preventing him from contacting the woman.
If you are affected by domestic abuse, contact the Live Fear Free helpline on 0808 80 10 800.
