A young woman has been commended for her bravery in coming forward after being subjected to a ‘campaign of terror’ by a Kings Norton man.
The woman was just 16 years old when she met Hawkesley man James Anderson in 2016. Vulnerable following the death of her father, she was befriended by him.
However, 23 year old Anderson subjected the teen to verbal and physical abuse.
She suffered regular beatings – including biting, choking and burning with a lighter – and Anderson wrongly accuse her of cheating.
The worst violence was in June 2017 after they had been to a house party.
Anderson strangled her and jammed his thumb into her eye, leaving her partially sighted in one eye.
He then made her walk several miles to his flat at knifepoint, where he carried out a prolonged assault, which only ended when she became unconscious.
Following this vicious attack, the girl confided in her family who supported her to bravely report it to the police.
Anderson was arrested and charged with causing actual bodily harm.
Already on a suspended sentence for assaulting a previous partner, Anderson was recalled to prison.
While awaiting trial, he made repeated attempts to persuade the teen not to give evidence against him.
Eventually, Anderson admitted the charge of causing actual bodily harm at a previous hearing but was further convicted of coercive control and witness intimidation at Birmingham Crown Court last Wednesday (20th March).
He was sentenced to six years imprisonment and put on a 10 year restraining order.
PC Tom Parrott, from the force’s public protection unit, said: “Anderson is a dangerous man who exploited the vulnerability of a teenage girl after her father’s death.
“He thought he could continue to bully her, even after being charged, so he could get away with his deplorable actions but he was wrong.
“I applaud the girl’s courage in coming forward and her strength through what was a long and difficult case.”
For advice on reporting domestic abuse visit https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/your-options/domestic-abuse
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