'He is a predator and an abuser... Nobody will be safe from him'

Man jailed after 8-month abuse campaign

- Sentinel Reporter

A BULLY boyfriend has been branded 'evil' after subjecting his partner to an horrific eight-month campaign of abuse.

Samuel Sylvester has 26 convictions for 47 previous offences and was homeless in 2022 when he met his partner on social media.

She 'welcomed' him into her Fenton home - and was repeatedly battered in return. Now the 34-year-old has been jailed for 81 months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

Prosecutor Jessica Foster said: "During the course of their relationship, there were occasions when the defendant would become aggressive, paranoid and volatile. He would verbally abuse the victim. He called her a 'fat slag, a 'fat ogre' and - because she has half-Asian children - a 'p**j*****'.

"He physically assaulted the victim on several occasions by punching and kicking her. This physical violence also included strangulation, which started after the victim had a miscarriage with the defendant's child in November 2022. After assaulting the victim, he would often confiscate her phone to prevent her calling the police or her family."

Sylvester's physical abuse continued to escalate in the run-up to Christmas 2022. On December 3, he beat and strangled her after setting fire to her bedsheets following a trip to Manchester. He refused to let her go upstairs, believing she was going to have sex with another man - despite there being nobody else in the house.