Hertfordshire husband who broke wife's nose and beat her with chains is jailed

An abusive husband from Hertfordshire who broke his wife's nose and beat her with metal chains has been jailed for more than four years.

The court heard Alan Tippett, from Hitchin, abused his wife Clare over several years.

Now she has bravely spoken out to encourage other victims of abuse to seek help.

Huntingdon Law Courts heard how in December 2010, Tippett punched Clare in bed leaving her nose broken and bloodied. The aftermath of the attack was witnessed by her children.

In 2015, he threw a table at her back causing her significant injuries, which was also seen by two of her children.

The physical abuse stopped when their son was born, but it became emotional and psychological as Tippett controlled her every move, even installing cameras in the house to watch her.

The court heard that Clare, now 46, had been whipped with metal chains and Tippett had pushed her head down the toilet in front of her children.

Clare said: “I felt like nothing, I had no future and I was numb. He had worn me down so much, I couldn’t even think for myself. I became so ill that doctors thought I’d burst a blood vessel but it was exhaustion from the constant feeling of always being in the wrong and feeling so worthless. I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror.”

She decided to escape and hid her belongings in a wheelie bin so she could flee to safety with their son and her two older children.

Clare was put in touch with Detective Constable Natalia Allodi-Robertson, who was the investigating officer from the force’s Domestic Abuse Investigation Safeguarding Unit (DAISU) and an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor who between them supported her emotionally, practically and throughout the criminal justice process.

Following a nine-day trial, Alan Tippett, aged 52, of Milestone Road in Hitchin, was jailed for four years and three months after being convicted of coercive and controlling behaviour and two counts of actual bodily harm at Huntingdon Law Courts (as an overflow to St Albans Crown Court) by Judge Grey on Tuesday (16 March). The judge also granted an unlimited restraining order.

Judge Grey said the Tippett's evidence was some of the most manipulative and duplicitous he had ever seen and his behaviour had been 'deeply unpleasant'.

Clare paid tribute to the support she had been given from Hertfordshire Police.

DC Allodi-Robertson said coercive and controlling behaviour was very hard to prove because victims often fail to realise they are being controlled.

If you are experiencing domestic abuse, call 0300 790 6772 for advice and support during week day office hours. In an emergency, call 999. If you are not able to speak, call 999 from a mobile and press 5 and 5. Help and support is also available from the Sunflower Centre (opens in a new window).