'Frightening' Sunderland brute left girlfriend fearing for her life during 'nightmare rollercoaster' of violence and abuse

Jamie Campbell subjected his partner, a successful landlady, to violence, abuse, control and used vile racist language against her.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the 28-year-old assaulted the 4ft 10 university graduate, threatened to kill her and left her feeling trapped and needing to placate him.

Prosecutor Michael Hodson told the court the pair began a relationship in 2017.

He said: "She described her relationship with him as a nightmare rollercoaster.

"She felt he needed her and she could help improve him and he convinced her he wanted to improve. She gave him a job."

Mr Hodson said the she kept what was happening to her a secret until April last year, when she reported it after "realising how wrong the relationship was and what he was capable of".

Mr Hodson said: "She said things had reached a point where she believed if she didn't make a complaint to the police 'I would end up dead'."

The court heard Campbell's offending began in 2017, when he flung her across her bedroom and throughout 2018 police had to be called due to his jealousy and anger.

In the summer of 2018 she told him she was going to America when she wasn't but he turned up at her house looking for a man and police were called to remove him.

In June last year he phoned to say his gran had died and when she went to see him he got angry and hit her.

On August 1, the victim reported him to the police for a number of offences, including hurling racist abuse.

After police left, he bombarded her with texts asking where she was and sent her a picture of himself and a message saying "I'm coming for you b****".

When she later agreed to meet him she feared he may throw acid at her and he picked up a bottle and pretended to swill liquid towards her.

The court heard he punched her to the back of the head, broke her phone and threw a microwave out of a window.

The woman said: "He controls my life by playing with my emotions and he knows how to control me and pull my strings.

"He uses threats to damage to control me and get what he wants."

The court heard he also repeatedly used offensive racist language against her, threatened to kill her and left her with injuries, including a split lip, black eye and lumps on her head.

Video and audio recordings played in court showed him in very angry states using offensive and racist language against her.

She said in a victim impact statement: "I care deeply about Jamie and his mental wellbeing but I understand what I went through is wrong and it couldn't continue any longer.

"Life before Jamie was astonishing, I felt I had it all. Now I feel extremely vulnerable to the world.

"I know if I didn't go to the police it would result in an accidental death."

However, the court heard, the woman had visited Campbell in prison while he has been on remand as she said it upset her not having contact with him.

She added: "When I visited he was always nice and polite and we got on."

Campbell, of Halesworth Drive, Pennywell, Sunderland, pleaded guilty to controlling coercive behaviour, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and damaging property.

He also admitted being in breach of a previous suspended sentence and was jailed for a total of three years and 11 months.

Judge Sarah Mallett told him: "It's the behaviour of somebody who was totally out of control.

"You repeatedly racially abused her, you said you were going to kill her and made other threats.

"It's clear you have no control over your behaviour or feelings, making them particularly frightening.

"You assaulted her on a number of occasions and also caused damage to her property.

"She was a vulnerable victim by way of the controlling and coercive behaviour and your actions were designed to maximise fear and took place over a lengthy period of time."

Vic Laffey, defending, said: "He accepts there's a need to change and he is deeply embarrassed.

"He felt an awful lot of love for her and is very keen to address his problems.

"He expresses remorse."

Mr Laffey said Campbell used racist language but "says they are not views he holds", although Judge Mallett pointed out he has a previous conviction for racially aggravated harassment.