Victim of domestic abuse speaks out about his ordeal

Winsford resident Sarah Rigby was given a suspended prison sentence earlier this year after admitting to controlling and coercive behaviour.

Over the course of a nine-month relationship, Rigby controlled her partner’s finances, stopped him from showering and using the toilet, physically assaulted him and made him sleep on the floor.

Now, the victim, 41-year-old Gareth Jones, has spoken up about the ordeal he went through.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: "It knocked my confidence for a long time... I had low self-esteem because of the constant abuse.

"I had to go through therapy."

ALSO READ: Victims urged to speak out as 'remorseless' controlling woman sentenced

41-year-old Sarah Rigby from Winsford (Image: Facebook)

Mr Jones, from Pontypridd in South Wales, met Rigby online in July 2021.

Within months she had forced him to move into her home in Winsford, where he was made to store all his belongings in the garage and pay £700 a month rent, despite the fact Rigby’s father already owned the house.

He was not allowed a key and was made to leave whenever Rigby went out.

Reflecting on the start of the relationship, Mr Jones said his abuser was ‘overly affectionate’.

"I guess they call it love bombing," he added.

"I thought 'how can this person be so loving?'.

"I think it takes you aback... you think this could really be the one, and this could work out. It was overly powerful."

Soon after he moved in, Rigby took control of her partner’s finances and cut him off from his family and friends.

She stopped him from showering and using the toilet, made him sleep on the floor with the windows open, controlled what he ate and made him pretend to be unwell to get prescriptions to fuel her codeine habit.

Mr Jones was also subjected to physical assaults, including scratching, as well as verbal abuse, with Rigby calling him 'a whale' and 'dopey' among other things.

Five months after moving in with Rigby, following a conversation with his mum, Diane Debens, Mr Jones sought the help he needed.

Ms Debens told the BBC the relationship put a huge strain on the family.

She said: "You go through a gamut of emotions.

"There's frustration. You want to shake them and say 'just get out of this'.

"You know they are going through pain. It's your child, no matter what age. And you feel helpless, really.

"I couldn't believe that one human being could treat another human being like this.”

Rigby, 41, was handed a five-year restraining order and sentenced to 20 months imprisonment suspended for two years at Chester Crown Court on May 24.

READ MORE: Woman refused to let partner use the toilet in 'degrading' campaign of control

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Sophie Ward said: “This is the worst case of controlling and coercive behaviour I have ever seen.

“Rigby had a stranglehold on the victim. Through her coercive behaviour, she was able to control everything he did, cutting him off from everyone he knew and leaving him trapped, feeling like he had nowhere to turn.

“While the victim will never be able to forget what happened to him, I hope that the conclusion of this case will help him to move forward and start to rebuild his life.”