Man made relationship 'like a prison'

A JEALOUS man monitored his fiancée with cameras and made her feel like their relationship was a “prison”, a court heard.

- PHILIP DEWEY

He would constantly accuse of her being unfaithful with other men and even claimed she had been dreaming of sleeping with someone.

Lee Winmill, 45, from Barry, had been in a relationship with his victim since 2021 and they became engaged in 2023, but he became increasingly controlling and coercive towards her.

He would monitor her location, isolated her from friends and family, inspected her personal belongings, accused her of being unfaithful and was verbally aggressive.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard the defendant was “possessive” of the victim, and when she didn’t answer the phone he would contact other people to see where she was.

He would monitor security cameras to observe his partner's movements in and out of their home, and he would say to her: “I can see your car is out the front, why aren’t you answering?”

When the victim would speak to neighbours, he would listen in on conversations and would sometimes interrupt using a speaker, saying he could hear what was being said.