A 'controlling and violent' man from Walsall has been jailed for three-and-a-half years after subjecting his long-term girlfriend to years of abuse, including making her eat from a dog bowl.
Howard Johnson, 52, of New Forest Road, Coalpool, admitted engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour with violence at Wolverhampton Crown Court on 17 December. He was also given a 10-year restraining order.
West Midlands Police said the 44-year-old victim had been in a relationship with Johnson for 27 years. He regularly beat her, belittled her in front of others, threw her out of the house on cold nights, and controlled her access to her car, phone and work. He also wrongly accused her of cheating, leaving her with cracked ribs, a broken elbow and loss of consciousness.
In one incident during a trip to Blackpool in May, Johnson beat his partner around the head with a brandy bottle until the glass broke on her head. She managed to flee and seek refuge in a nearby hotel, which called an ambulance and police.
Det Con Vanessa Nelson from the force's public protection unit said: 'Johnson's behaviour and actions were deplorable. He is a dangerous man who bullied his long-term partner during the course of their relationship. His actions were controlling, cruel, violent and belittling. I applaud the woman's courage in coming forward and her strength through what was a long and difficult case.'
