Cambridgeshire man who demanded 'paper trail' of partner's every move jailed
A man who demanded his partner provide exact paper trails of her journeys so he knew her "every move" has been jailed.
John Sharples, 54, of Longstanton in Cambridgeshire, demanded his girlfriend show him evidence of where she had been so he could trace her movements.
Sharples would sit down and go through "evidence" such as bus tickets and make the victim explain where she had been and for how long and then would question any discrepancies, said police.
He would also follow the victim to the shops to see exactly where she was going and, if she wanted to visit friends, he would insist on taking her and waiting outside until she had finished.
The victim changed her friend’s name in her phone to “NHS notification” to try to stop him looking at her text messages.
On 5 May 2021, the victim falsely told Sharples she had an appointment at her child’s school, so she could go and visit a friend.
While out, Sharples bombarded her with calls and texts and when she returned home, he was angry and marched her to the school to prove the appointment had taken place.
However, when the person he wanted to speak to was not there, Sharples became aggressive towards the victim and staff, prompting the school to contact the police.
Sharples pleaded guilty to engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour and was sentenced to 14 months in prison at Cambridge Crown Court.
Det Con Jess Davey said: “This case highlights that coercive and controlling behaviour is a criminal offence and will not be tolerated.
"This type of domestic abuse can have a huge impact on victims: they can suffer from the threat and fear of injury, daily intimidation and having every aspect of their life monitored and controlled.
"We would strongly urge anyone who is a victim of domestic abuse to contact police or call the national domestic violence helpline on 0808 2000 247.”
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