Appleton man who controlled ex-partner for several years is jailed

The court heard how Lee Ball repeatedly abused, belittled, and embarrassed his former partner, even forcing her to take drugs against her own will.

Ball, of Barleycastle Lane, Appleton, appeared before Chester Crown Court last Wednesday after pleading guilty to one count of controlling and coercive behaviour.

Prosecuting, Peter Hussey spoke of various incidents which took place over several years while the couple maintained a relationship, with it coming to a head in May earlier this year when the victim reported Ball’s bullying behaviour to the police.

Mr Hussey told the court how Ball, 51, and his former partner met through mutual friends and just three months into the relationship she found him to be ‘clingy’.

As the relationship continued Ball made several attempts to control the victim, with him demanding on many occasions when she had gone out for her to come back home and becoming aggressive and threatening when she did not obey his demands.

The defendant accused her of cheating on him during the relationship and of flirting with her work colleague.

The victim stated that Ball’s continuous manipulation led to her questioning her own behaviour and if what he was accusing her of was actually true.

In one shocking incident in April, the court heard how the victim returned home one night after drinking at a pub and the following day Ball had tried convincing her that she had been sexually assaulted by three men in the pub that night, something she could never recall happening.

Determined to embarrass and humiliate his former partner, he then made her return to the establishment that day and watch as he told ‘random’ men in the pub that they had assaulted her.

Later that day he proceeded to beat her, grabbing her, and hitting her until she was covered in bruises.

He then assaulted her again a few days later.

The victim was made to pay for things including Ball’s mortgage and his children’s phone bill and in her words, she said, ‘he financially rinsed me’.

Having had a rocky relationship where they had spilt and then rekindled their romance in August, a traumatic incident took place where Ball began snorting cocaine and forced his former partner to do the same.

Ball even threatened at one point to ‘destroy her’ and ‘make her life a misery’.

Nearing the end of their relationship his victim was described by people who knew her as looking ‘pale, tired and drained’ and seeming ‘on edge’.

Mr Hussey told of how Ball’s behaviour had a ‘detrimental’ effect on her mental health.

In a victim statement that was summarised to the court she said the ‘trauma and stress’ of the relationship has caused her to lose weight and has ‘brought on early menopause’.

Defending, Mr Andrew McGuinness said the defendant ‘accepts some responsibility and some culpability’ for his actions.

“He tells me today that he is remorseful,” he said. “Not a day passes that he doesn’t think about that relationship.”

Mr McGuinness said that Ball had spent the past four months in custody and is at ‘low risk’ of re-offending.

He added that the defendant has two young children aged fifteen and sixteen and that he is ‘keen to get his life back on track’.

Concluding, Judge Simon Berkson said: “You did everything to try and control her life.”

“She was scared of you, and she was right to be scared of you.

“There is clearly regret on your behalf.”

He said that Ball had a promising career when he was younger as a footballer but has since worked self-employed as a tiler.

Adding that whilst in prison Ball has been on a tiling course, alluding to a more positive prosect of rehabilitation.

In reference to Balls behaviour during the relationship, the Judge continued: “There was persistent action over a long period of time.

“There was an incident involving a pub that was frankly embarrassing to be read out in court.”

The defendant was handed a custodial sentence of 27 months of which half will be served, as well as a restraining order of ten years against his victim.