A man has been locked up after he tried to strangle his estranged girlfriend with some electrical cable when she called at his home in Huddersfield to pick up some of her belongings.
Leeds Crown Court heard Nathan John James Corby had a turbulent relationship with Eloise White.
Katherine Robinson prosecuting told the court Miss White found him controlling. He did not trust her to speak to other people and would “flip” over the slightest thing.
On one occasion in September last year she wanted to speak to her parents and he would not let her, pouring some fluid over her which he claimed was lighter fuel saying “do you want to die?”
He had a cigarette lighter in his hand which he kept flicking although he never ignited it before throwing it at her unlit. He also sprayed deodorant towards her face knowing she had a throat problem and that had caused her to cough up blood.
Miss Robinson said Corby also threatened to throw his girlfriend over the balcony knowing she was afraid of heights but after leaving the room for a time he returned in tears, hugged her and helped her wash saying the liquid was only water.
They did split up after that but on January 11 this year she went back to collect some belongings from his address and he would not let her leave.
She described him turning nasty, wanting to know why she would not come back to him and continue their relationship.
“She told him she was frightened of him. He was screaming in her face and she said she was terrified and that was part of the reason she could not get back with him.”
Miss Robinson said Corby took off his shirt and locked the door. When Miss White ran towards it to escape he grabbed hold of her, threw her on to the floor and spat in her face, calling her names.
He then got hold of some electrical wire and strangled her from behind with it saying: “Do you want to die.”
She could not answer because she could not breathe or speak. She estimated that lasted for around two minutes and again she began coughing up blood and he stopped.
Miss White said she was terrified and her whole body felt numb. The next day he let her go, she said she had been too terrified before that to leave.
After that he constantly phoned her and her parents making threats towards her and in particular her father, who was ill.
In one month he made 702 calls to her phone, the court heard.
Her parents also installed anti-arson devices at their home because of what he said.
Miss Robinson said at the time of the offences against Miss White, Corby was already on bail for another previous incident in August last year where he had pointed a knife at the throat and used it to prod the chest of another woman after a dispute about leaving the property where he had been staying.
Domestic violence contact number
Freephone 24 hour National Domestic Violence Helpline: 0808 2000 247
(run in partnership between Women’s Aid and Refuge)
Abigail Langford representing Corby said he knew he was facing an inevitable jail sentence.
She said both he and Miss White were vulnerable young people with their own problems which meant it had been “a toxic relationship.”
She said he had found his remand in custody, his first time locked up, very difficult and had been prescribed anti-depressants.
Corby, 20 of Holme Park Court, Woodhead Road, Berry Brow was found guilty by a jury of affray and possessing a bladed article in August last year, and admitted attempted grievous bodily harm to Miss White, affray and harassment. He was sent to a young offender institution for a total of three years.
Recorder Tony Hawks said the woman threatened with a knife in the earlier offence must have been terrified. He had then gone on to commit a catalogue of offences against Miss White.
In the incident where he poured fluid over her which she believed was lighter fuel and he now said was water, “at the time whatever it was she believed it could be set on fire, that was a cowardly, nasty and thoroughly unpleasant, frightening incident.”
After they split up and she called for her belongings he put her to the floor spat on her and tried to strangle her with electrical cable and then bombarded her and her family with threatening phone calls.
Recorder Hawks said he realised because of Corby’s own emotional and psychological difficulties custody would be hard for him but there had to be a period of detention.
