A 39-year-old man has been imprisoned after breaking into his former partner’s home and launching a violent attack while her children were present.
Gareth Jex of Brynteg Terrace, Ebbw Vale, received a sentence of two years and eight months at Newport Crown Court for violating a restraining order and assaulting his ex-partner on January 10.
“I was very afraid, I was barricading the door with anything I could find,” the victim stated in her court testimony. “We were together for seven years and for the whole relationship he has been abusive, and I have suffered many injuries as a result. At this point, I am fed up of living in constant fear.”
The court heard how Jex punched the victim in the face and chased her through her home, causing her to fall onto her daughter’s toys. In a final act described as “sinister” by the court, he deliberately stole her back door key “so that he could let himself back in, whenever he wants.”
With 45 previous convictions for 72 offences, including multiple restraining order violations, Jex was described by his defence as someone whose life has been “blighted by drug abuse” for nearly 20 years.
Judge Lloyd-Clarke characterised the relationship as “turbulent and violent” before issuing an indefinite restraining order alongside the prison sentence. ⚖️
