At the petrol station she was able to get help and the police arrived
A jealous thug assaulted his partner after she messaged her former husband about their child. He would obsessively check her phone and threatened to “cut the brakes” on her car.
Sean Hood, 42, of Newport, had been in a relationship with the victim for six months and she described him as “normal” at the beginning but he quickly became “toxic” in his behaviour. He would demand to see his partner’s mobile phone, made her delete male friends on Facebook and made threats against her.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard the defendant would frequently accuse his partner of infidelity and limited the amount of time she could spend on her phone. Make sure you never miss Wales’ biggest updates by getting our daily newsletter.
The victim said she used to go out with friends but this stopped during her relationship with Hood, who frequently threatened her.
Prosecutor Jac Brown said one occasion the defendant threatened to “cut the brakes” on the victim’s car and then mocked her for believing him.
On February 14, Hood was “angry” towards the victim and she attempted to de-escalate his behaviour. He left the property and the victim locked the door, but he tried to gain access and threatened her. She said she felt she had no choice but to let him back in and he threw a set of keys at a vase, causing it to smash.
On February 15, the victim was on her phone and placed it down the arm of the sofa. The defendant accused her of trying to hide the phone and demanded to inspect it.
He went upstairs and found messages between the victim and her ex-husband about their child. Hood became angry and accusatory and called the victim a liar. He threw her phone at her and hit her in the leg.
The defendant barged into the victim and caused her to hit her back against a board. Hood began to hit himself by punching his head and punched a door out of anger. He then threatened the victim, saying: “If you don’t get in the car I’ll drag you to it.”
The victim was terrified and anxious about what might happen to her, as the defendant drove her to a Tesco petrol station, telling her: “You’ll see exactly what I am like.”
When they got to the petrol station, the victim was able to get help from a member of staff as Hood repeatedly tried to phone her.
The police were then called and the defendant was arrested, and in his interview he accused the victim of fabricating the allegations. He then breached his bail conditions by attempting to contact her and turning up at her workplace.
Hood, of Broadmead Park, later pleaded guilty to controlling/coercive behaviour, assault by beating and damaging property. The court heard he has two previous convictions dating back more than 20 years.
In a victim personal statement read to the court the victim said: “I have been suffering as a result of the actions of Sean Hood and what he has put me through. In our relationship of just over six months I became disengaged and disassociated. I emotionally shut down. I have become isolated and stopped speaking to my friends because he didn’t like them.
“I feel like I am in fight or flight mode. He would constantly spam my phone with no caller ID. My confidence has been knocked massively. I feel I have become introverted. I used to be bubbly but I have become depressed and very anxious.
“I feel I am living with this trauma every day and I can’t see an end to it. I am suffering with panic attacks which make me feel drained and I feel hypersensitive to dangers.”
In mitigation, Kevin Seal said his client has already served the equivalent of a four-month sentence while on remand. The defence barrister said the defendant has lost his job and has been unable to see his children.
Sentencing, Recorder Greg Bull KC said: “Your behaviour was totally unacceptable and resulted in an assault.”
Hood was sentenced to an 18 month community order. The defendant was ordered to carry out 26 sessions of the Building Better Choices programme, a three-month GPS trail monitoring requirement, and 150 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay a £50 fine and was given a five-year restraining order to protect his victim.
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