A NARCISSIST who strangled and stomped his girlfriend on the neck in a sickening frenzy faces just four years in prison — despite a judge’s fears he could continue to kill.
Gavin Anstey, 37, also held broken glass to her eye in November last year.
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A court heard that scaffolder Anstey, who was jailed in 2008 for causing the deaths of two young women through dangerous driving, has a history of assaulting his partners.
In a powerful victim impact statement, the woman, who was left with permanent injuries and PTSD, said: “During the incident Gavin attacked me, I caught my breath and then he started another attack. It went from room to room as he threw me around my flat.
“The attack lasted so long and I couldn’t access my phone because it was flying that I had no way out.
“After the attack, my whole body was sore and bruised. He’d squinted my eye and held glass to it, so I thought he’d go for my eye with it.
“He had stamped on my neck with such force that I couldn’t breathe and had no way out. He choked me to the point where my family flashed before my eyes.
She bravely described Anstey as a narcissist incapable of feeling any remorse and empathy towards others.
The thug, from Worthing, West Sussexpleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm, non-fatal strangulation and criminal damage at the Hove Crown Court.
During the attack, Anstey raged, “I’ll gladly go down twenty years to kill you.”
But despite his brutality, Judge Christine Henson jailed him for only four years on Wednesday with a one-year extended license — the maximum allowed by law.
He will serve at least two thirds of the four years in prison.
Judge Henson said Anstey posed a serious risk of recidivism and a high risk of causing serious injury or death to future partners.
She said: “Obviously you have acute difficulty in conducting yourself in an intimate relationship.
“I have no doubt that you pose a serious risk of harming others.”
How to get help
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Contact charities for help, including Women’s Aid’s Live Chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarize yourself with the silent solution, report abuse without calling, dial “55” instead.
- Always keep some cash with you, including change for a phone booth or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try moving to a less risky area in the house, such as where there is a way out and access to a phone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where knives or other weapons are likely to be found. Avoid rooms where you can get trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you can be locked in a closet or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic violence, SupportLine is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid offers a live chat service – available on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and at weekends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
You can also call the free 24-hour national domestic violence helpline on 0808 2000 247.