Violent Bully Sentenced to 16 Years for Breaking Partner's Neck and Leaving Her Paralysed
A violent and controlling bully who broke the neck of his partner, leaving her paralysed and her life destroyed, has been handed a 16-year prison sentence. Robert Easom, a 57-year-old landscape gardener from Chipping, Lancashire, was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent after a trial at Preston Crown Court.
Relentless Campaign of Coercive Control
The court heard that Easom engaged in a relentless campaign of coercive and controlling behaviour over eight years against Trudi Burgess, a 57-year-old schoolteacher and former singer from Chorley. This included regular verbal abuse, physical assaults, and incidents where he would switch from loving to violent, described as a true Jekyll and Hyde personality.
Examples of the abuse documented by Burgess in her phone notes included:
- Forcing her to clean up spilled food
- Pushing her against furniture and head-butting her
- Driving dangerously to frighten her
- Dragging her by the head and strangling her
Catastrophic Assault and Life-Altering Injuries
In a final assault, when Burgess threatened to leave, Easom flew into an uncontrollable rage, pinning her down and pushing her head into her body until her neck snapped. Burgess suffered a complete spinal cord injury, rendering her tetraplegic. She will never walk again, requires continuous care, and has no use of her hands or control over bodily functions.
At the sentencing hearing, Burgess delivered a victim impact statement, stating: I have been emotionally shattered. I suffer from bouts of depression, daily anxiety, symptoms of PTSD, flashbacks and nightmares that wake me up. I feel trapped and powerless.
Sentencing and Aftermath
Judge Altham, the Recorder of Preston, jailed Easom for 16 years, noting no sentence could begin to equal the harm you caused. Easom will be eligible for parole after serving this term. He also pleaded guilty to two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one of controlling and coercive behaviour.
Burgess's children, Gina and Jackson, set up a GoFundMe page to cover her life-changing costs, raising over £188,000 to ensure her future is safe, dignified, and stable. They shared a YouTube link of their parents performing at Ronnie Scott's club in 1993 as a reminder of her identity beyond the injury.
This case highlights the severe consequences of domestic violence and coercive control, with Burgess's life irrevocably altered by the actions of her partner.
