Woman jailed for 'relentless' abuse of victim

A woman who waged a "relentless" campaign of abuse against her girlfriend has been jailed.

Kathryn White, 41, physically and emotionally abused her 40-year-old victim for 11 months, after the pair started a relationship in 2021.

The victim reported White's crimes when she called 999 in July 2022, Cheshire Police said, but she died four days later.

White, of Mayfield Mews in Crewe, Cheshire, was previously found guilty of engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour and was jailed for three years and six months.

The trial at Liverpool Crown Court, which lasted 19 days, heard White began isolating the victim from her family and friends at the start of the relationship.

She moved into the victim's home, forcing the latter's son to leave, detectives said.

White controlled what she wore while shaming her over her appearance and telling the victim that her family did not care enough to visit, when she was in hospital.

The woman was forced to leave her job, police said, and later transferred all the money she had to her abuser.

White also repeatedly accused her of cheating and was reported to have slapped her after she hugged a colleague.

When the woman spoke to police on 6 July 2022, she said White had physically assaulted her in a "fit of rage".

A spokesperson for Cheshire Police said she reported the offender had ripped a door from a wardrobe and threw it at the victim, before grabbing her throat and pinning her against a wall.

She told officers she was isolated from family, friends and work colleagues and had no access to her own money, social media accounts or emails, they added.

White had also threatened to take her own life if her victim tried to end the relationship, the spokesperson said.

The testimony the victim gave played a "vital part" in securing White's conviction, the force added, after Friday's hearing.

Det Sgt Thomas Vass said White had subjected her former partner to a "relentless" campaign of physical, verbal and emotional abuse.

"Through her own insecurities, she isolated the woman she was supposed to care for from her loved ones, friends and even her own son, and had complete control of any sense of personal independence she possessed," he added.

"While sadly the victim in this case is no longer with us to see White held accountable for her deplorable behaviour, I do hope the result will provide her family and friends with a sense of much-needed closure and the relief that justice has finally been secured for their loved one."

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