'Cruel abuser enjoyed' terrorising partner

A "cruel" domestic abuser who got "enjoyment" out of terrorising his partner has been jailed for two and a half years.

Daniel Kane's campaign of violence and "psychological manipulation" against the woman included headbutting her, abandoning her at a service station and destroying her phone in a microwave, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

The woman said she had felt "powerless" and in constant fear of what Kane would do next during the almost two-year long relationship.

Kane, 47, and from Woolsington, Newcastle, admitted offences including coercive and controlling behaviour, with his barrister saying he was "riddled" with an alcohol addiction at the time.

Kane and the woman began a relationship in July 2021 but as he began to drink more heavily his behaviour towards her deteriorated, prosecutor Nick Lane said.

He would "lash out at her for no reason", with the first violence four months into the relationship seeing him drag her round by her hair, the court heard.

In November 2022, the couple stopped at a service station on their way back from Manchester, with Kane becoming angry when the pair got separated in the building, the court heard.

He took her mobile phone and drove off, returning a short while later and telling her it had been "funny" to see the look on her face and how upset she had been, the court heard.

Kane would frequently march her out of their home by her neck, told her what to wear and threatened to rip her finger nails off if he did not like how they had been styled, Lane said.

He was verbally abusive and "deliberately" called the woman by the name of his previous partner knowing it upset her, the court heard.

When she said she wanted to leave, Kane would threaten to harm himself, the court was told, with the woman saying that "pressure" and "psychological manipulation" was the reason she stayed with him.

In December 2022, he destroyed her phone in a microwave, then punched her in the face before telling her it was her fault and asking if she had "learned her lesson", the court heard.

The following February, he headbutted and punched her in the face following a row over a misplaced TV remote control, Lane said.

The woman would tell relatives her injuries were caused in accidents, with Kane sitting and "smirking" beside her as she lied to cover for him, the court heard.

In May 2023, the woman finally ended the relationship, prompting Kane to bombard her with abusive phone calls and voicemails, in one of which he demanded she give him £10,000 or he would shoot her and her family, the court heard.

Lane said the abuse was "cruel", adding Kane had "manipulated" the woman and seemed to have obtained "enjoyment" from behaving the way he did towards her.

In a statement read to the court, the woman said the "degrading, painful and terrifying" abuse had been "ongoing" and made her feel "powerless, frightened and controlled".

She said she was often in physical pain and felt "completely helpless" and in fear of "what he might do next".

The woman said she still had frequent nightmares about Kane and had become "extremely paranoid".

In mitigation, Rachel Hedworth said a now-sober Kane was "sickened to his core" by his actions, with the abuse occurring while he was "so riddled and addled" by an alcohol addiction.

"He has so little recollection of what went on and has found it very difficult to come to terms with this monster-like behaviour," she said, adding he had done "everything humanly possible to try to rehabilitate himself" in the three years since the relationship ended.

The court heard the case had taken two years to conclude in the courts, with Kane having only entered guilty pleas in July when his trial was due to start.

Recorder Jamie Hill KC said it was to Kane's "credit" he had "sought help" with addiction and mental health issues during the time the case was "strung out".

But while the abuser had moved his "life to a better place", the victim had "had to live not knowing" if she would need to go through the trauma of reliving her experiences at a trial.

The impact of the abuse had been "enormous" and continued to affect the woman's life, the judge said, adding: "She clearly bears the mental scars of what you did to her.

"She continues to live with the trauma."

A restraining order banning Kane from contacting the woman was made to last indefinitely.

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