'Charming' Jake Gurr from Portsmouth jailed for 12 years as brave partner reveals how he stabbed and beat her in four-hour domestic abuse nightmare

Jake Gurr has been sentenced to 150 months in prison over the four hours of abuse he visited upon Anisa Hutchinson in their Queen Street flat this year. He’s also been given a 15-year restraining order.

Now Anisa, 19, has told The News about her ordeal in order to inspire other victims to speak up - before they too find themselves fearing for their life.

Gurr, 27, met the teenager through mutual friends in 2019, and the pair enjoyed several months of happiness before their relationship took a dark turn.

After seeming ‘charming’ at first, unemployed Gurr quickly revealed a controlling, abusive side – accusing his partner of cheating on him and flirting with his friends, with Gurr going into a violent rage during arguments.

Anisa said: 'I tried so many times to leave him and he would (emotionally) blackmail me - he was saying that my mum was against me, and I couldn't trust anyone, and if I left him he would kill himself, and no-one would ever love me.'

In May of this year, an argument over a missing lighter after a night out sparked a four-hour nightmare where Gurr repeatedly beat his teenage girlfriend while threatening to rape her. When she tried to escape, Gurr dragged her back into the flat and stabbed her in the head with a knife.

Anisa said: ‘He filmed me as he was beating me.

‘He beat me for hours - he stabbed me in the back of the head.

‘It was horrific. I thought I was going to die.’

Had the police not arrived after a neighbour called due to the disturbance, Anisa believes she would have been killed that night. She was taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital where she was treated for an inch-long stab wound to her scalp.

Now she hopes that her story will encourage other domestic abuse victims to seek help, as her own fear of reprisals left her dismissing police enquiries that had been provoked by worried friends and family.

She said: ‘My mum would call the police a lot. I called the police a few times – they turned up sometimes but then I said everything is fine. I was scared.’

But the 19-year-old feels that the police should have seen that the situation was dangerous and required intervention much sooner.

Anisa said: ‘I do feel let down by the police. They stepped in too late.’

One friend reports telling the police that she feared her friend was going to be killed after an explosive row between the couple outside the Guildhall in March – while Gurr was on probation for previously strangling Anisa in public, according to the teenager.

Detective Chief Inspector Dal Andrews said Gurr’s actions were ‘appalling’ and hoped that Anisa’s ‘courage’ in sharing her story will inspire others to seek help.

Det Chief Insp Andrews said: ‘Gurr had subjected his victim to hours of physical and verbal abuse on the morning that we attended and arrested him. When officers attended they were also assaulted, one of them quite seriously, as they tried to detain him.

‘The woman involved has been incredibly brave throughout this process and without her courage we would not have secured this outcome.

“Gurr’s actions were appalling and we are pleased that he will now spend a significant amount of time in prison for what he has done, as well as being prevented from having any contact with the victim for a further 15 years.

‘We also welcome his conviction for assaulting our attending officers. Police officers and staff perform a difficult and often dangerous role, but we do not view assaults as simply being part of the job’

Addressing concerns about officers response to calls about the couple, Det Chief Insp Andrews said the force will ‘never’ tolerate domestic abuse and highlighted a scheme whereby the public can request information about a loved-one’s partner.

The Hampshire Constabulary office said: ‘Domestic abuse is often a hidden crime with incidents taking place behind closed doors without any witnesses. It take a lot of courage to report these incidents to us, and we want anyone who is suffering from this type of abuse to find the confidence to come forward and speak to us about this often unreported type of offending.

‘I hope this case sends a message to our communities that we will never tolerate domestic abuse, and we will do all we can to work with victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

‘Together with our partners and local domestic abuse charities, we focus on support for victims and provide help to those leaving abusive relationships.

‘We also want to make sure our communities know that the public have the right to ask the police if their partner may pose a risk to them under the 'Right to Know' scheme, or 'Clare's Law', as it's often referred to.

‘This scheme has been set up so that the public can formally request information about someone, who may be abusing/have abused their current or former partner. It also allows a member of the public to make an enquiry into the partner of a close friend or family member.’

Now Anisa is feeling some relief that her tormentor is in prison – but she wishes he had received an even longer sentence.

She said: 'I now have panic attacks – he ruined my life.’

She added: 'But I am rebuilding my confidence.'

Domestic abuse charity Refuge can be reached 24/7 on their free helpline on 0808 2000 247. Stop Domestic Abuse in Havant is on 0330 0533 630.