Violent coercive Portsmouth man avoids prison despite punishing attacks on 'disfigured' girlfriend who thought she was 'going to die'

Portsmouth Crown Court heard how unhinged Liam Kingswell, 25, oversaw a reign of terror over his beleaguered victim that left her mentally and physically damaged and being owed more than £3,500 after she was forced to hand him money for his cocaine habit.

The gruelling ordeals inflicted on the woman by the Fratton menace during their relationship saw numerous items of hers repeatedly smashed up, including phones, laptops and jewellery.

But Kingswell, of Ernest Road, will not have to serve any time in prison despite his punishing and humiliating regime that pushed the woman to the brink and left her feeling trapped.

Nor will he have to pay his victim any compensation despite her having to fork out £400 for facial cosmetic surgery after a round of beating and leaving her at a loss of £800 after damaging items in an episode of destruction during their ill-fated relationship.

The abuser, who had previous convictions for battery and harassment in 2017 and 2018, was instead handed a 12-month jail term suspended for 24 months, told to complete 25 rehabilitation days and attend a ‘building better relationships’ program.

The court heard that events first came to light on June 16 last year when police were called to the victim’s address where Kingswell had smashed up her laptop and a mobile phone.

But during her interview to police, the woman revealed that was just the tip of the iceberg of her ordeals as she opened up to them on the ‘repeated confrontations and violence’ by Kingswell.

A short time after starting their relationship in June 2020 Kingswell began making threats of suicide which then quickly escalated to ‘kicking off and being abusive’ to her in a pub and then smashing her phone outside Fareham’s civic offices.

But much worse was to follow.

In November she lent him money for his drug habit and was then forced to drive him to meet a dealer who failed to show-up – leaving the defendant raging. ‘(Kingswell) began an argument with the victim and then punched her in the lip. It was a very hard punch that she described as “shockingly scary”,’ prosecutor Matthew Lawson said.

‘She was driving the car at the time and had to pull over. He then began punching himself because he was upset.’

Another time she was locked out of the house and only allowed back in on condition she gave the defendant money so he could buy drugs.

When she was inside the house he attacked her. ‘He pushed her onto the bed and grabbed her ankle and pulled her off the bed and dragged her round the room. He grabbed the phone as she was trying to call the police,’ Mr Lawson said.

Although she did finally manage to speak to police, she then denied what happened out of fear.

Kingswell turned violent once more after she rejected his proposition to sell naked pictures of herself and have a threesome with him and someone else. ‘He threw a mobile phone at her head which caused a 1cm cut. Police attended but she denied the incident,’ the prosecutor said.

In March he ‘began screaming’ at her and catapulted a kebab at her before smashing the windscreen of her car.

The following month the woman was attacked by Kingswell after accusing him of being unfaithful – with her then subjected to her worst assault in May after accusing him of cheating again.

‘He took her telephone and smashed it and grabbed her and flipped her over and proceeded to strangle her with both hands,’ Mr Lawson said.

Recounting the incident, the woman said: ‘I actually believed I would die.’

After getting off her, Kingswell then ‘kicked her in the jaw’ barefooted leaving her with bruising to her head and wrist which had cushioned the blow after the ‘hard’ strike.

Kingswell was also guilty of taking money from his girlfriend’s bank account to fund his drug habit and tipping her possessions out of a first floor window – including a laptop – which he then stamped on.

The victim, in a statement read out to court, said she ‘feels (Kingswell) has affected her future’ with her having a poor credit rating, strains with her family and work, as well as suffering mentally.

‘My job is in danger due to feigning illnesses and staying away when my injuries were so bad. My mental health is low, I have no energy and am anxious and depressed due to the whole experience,’ she said.

‘I have been left disfigured by the scar and this is a constant reminder of this man and what he had done to me.’

The woman added she felt ‘concern of his threat to other women’ but at least she ‘no longer felt trapped’.

SEE ALSO: Burglary arrest

Daniel Reilly, defending, said Kingswell was ‘deeply remorseful and ashamed’ and said he was told by the defendant before the court sentence: ‘It is just wrong. I am so sorry.’

The barrister said Kingswell was no longer taking cocaine, now had accommodation and was someone with a ‘realistic prospect of rehabilitation’.

Judge, Recorder Simon Foster, said there was a ‘litany of assaults’ that made it a ‘year of hell for her’ but opted for a suspended sentence with community intervention rather than immediate jail despite conceding Kingswell’s ‘response was poor’ following a previous community order.

He added: ‘You are lucky.’

Kingswell admitted a charge of controlling and coercive behaviour, and a count of criminal damage.

A five-year restraining order was slapped on him.

The judge opted against compensation to the victim so as ‘not to burden the defendant’ due to his ‘parlous’ financial circumstances.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

Subscribe here for unlimited access to all our coverage, including Pompey, for just 26p a day.