Anthony Manson quickly realised the woman was vulnerable and in the middle of a marriage breakdown when he “worked through the abuser’s work book” to prey on her
A bullying boyfriend has been jailed for eight years after turning a wealthy divorcee’s “off-grid” dream into a nightmare. Anthony Manson, 68, from Tintern in Monmouthshire, fooled his then girlfriend into believing “he was the one for me” when her “unhappy marriage” from her husband ended.
A court heard how she moved into a country caravan with her £280,000 divorce settlement to start a new life, but Manson started a horrific campaign of abuse over the following six years – during which time he cut off her contact from family and friends and even forced her to stand naked outside to pray.
The woman, who previously worked as a nurse and psychotherapist, weighed 13 stone when she moved in with Manson but her weight plummeted to eight stone when he forced her to work on the land. Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here
Prosecutor Emma Harris said the woman had met Manson at Glastonbury in 2015 where he was running a workshop to “get in touch with your inner voice”.
Newport Crown Court heard Manson quickly realised the woman was vulnerable and in the middle of a marriage breakdown when he “worked through the abuser’s work book” to prey on her.
The victim was later awarded money in her divorce settlement in 2017 before Manson fleeced her out of the cash to buy land and duped her into believing her name would be included.
In a victim impact statement read to the court on Wednesday she said she felt “stupid” after she was “led down the garden path” by Manson and now suffers PTSD and anxiety. The woman, who said she walks with a stick due to the abuse, added: “I feel worthless and unlovable.”
The court heard Manson used weapons to assault his then partner including a hot fire poker to burn her, hitting her to the head with a walking stick and bashing her leg with a axe-like tool called an adze.
Giving evidence at trial the woman said the then couple became followers of the Sufi Islam, and that her Islamic name was Khadejah, and his was Ibrahim.
The court heard Manson forced her to stand outside to pray on a winter’s night as part of the abuse and told her to wear a full-face veil to cover her bruises.
She said: “He told me to take everything off and go outside and pray. I was shivering, it was dark. Eventually he let me back in. My teeth were chattering.”
She said Manson told her to wear the veil before threatening: “If anyone asks, it’s between you and your God, nothing to do with them”.
The court heard that at other times he ordered her to stay in a caravan on their land telling her to “pray for forgiveness” after she refused sex.
Manson told police that he had strangled his former partner until she passed out “more then 10 times” during their eight-year relationship.
On one occasion the woman said her hands and feet were tied before her head was pushed into a plastic box filled with rain water.
In a police video interview she said: “I tried to fight him off but he was just too strong for me. He just overpowered me, then he got scared at the last minute, I thought he was going to drown me.”
The court heard the violence escalated in the week the woman left Manson when he tried to strangle her while forcing her to eat a Chinese meal.
He also dragged her from an outbuilding by her hair before he pressed “a knife quite hard” to her throat and told her he would “chop her up and feed her to their dogs”.
Manson told her: “No-one can hear you scream in the middle of the forest.” Manson – also known as Antonio Villafane – was found guilty of coercive or controlling behaviour, unlawful wounding, actual bodily harm and fraud.
Judge Daniel Williams said: “You noticed her vulnerabilities with the instincts of the domestic abuser. You then worked your way through the abuser’s work book.”
The judge said the victim was “brave and honest” when she gave evidence during the trial – and branded Manson a “grandiose bully” who represents a “high risk of causing serious harm” to future partners.
He added: “You chose not to give evidence or subject yourself to the discomfort of scrutiny. Like any hard work, you left giving evidence to Sally Ann. You set out to ruin and in many ways her life lies in ruins.”
Manson was jailed for eight years and handed an indefinite restraining order.
