Woman left ‘cowering with fear’ after assault from abusive thug

Ryan Jarvis left the woman with bruising, swelling and carpet burns after dragging her around her flat by her hair after kicking the door in.

Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday, May 12, how the 37-year-old has an ‘extremely worrying’ tendency for assaulting female partners.

The defendant appeared via videolink from HM Prison Altcourse to be sentenced on charges of stalking, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two counts of criminal damage.

The court heard from prosecutor Gerald Baxter how the victim was in her late 20s and in a relationship with the defendant for around a year.

She described their relationship as ‘difficult and one which became violent’, adding that Jarvis was ‘particularly volatile when drinking and taking drugs’.

On February 17, they had an argument and he went out for a drink, leaving her fearful of the consequences on his return.

She locked the front door of her Orford flat to prevent him from returning to her home, but in the early hours of the following morning, he was heard banging on the door.

He accused her of being with another man and demanded to be let in. This carried on for half an hour, leaving the victim feeling frightened and trapped.

Jarvis eventually left, but then ‘bombarded’ her with text messages, voicemails and Facebook messages the next day – all abusive in nature, calling her a ‘rat’ and threatening to harm her family.

In one message he said his ‘bad side is coming out’, and the victim was worried he would ‘beat her to death’.

On the morning of February 20, Jarvis again attended her home and began banging on the door, before kicking it through and grabbing the complainant as she tried to run away.

She was on the phone to the police at the time and shouted to them to ‘be quick’.

Jarvis grabbed her by the hair and began pulling her around the flat, before smashing her phone on the floor and telling her he would ‘stab her’.

Ryan Jarvis was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court

This left the victim ‘physically shaking and cowering’ as she ‘fully believed he could kill her’, but he then left.

The court heard how the complainant suffered swollen and bruised lips, as well as a sore head and neck. She also suffered bruising to her chest and finger and carpet burns after being dragged around.

Further messages were sent later that day, despite his number being blocked, and he even contacted a family member to pass on his messages.

In an impact statement, the victim said she has been ‘traumatised’, is fearful of further violence and had to barricade herself in her flat with fridge freezer in front of door, which was reinforced with wood, to prevent him from gaining entry again.

“I have become depressed, absolutely exhausted with sleepless nights and nightmares, anxious and paranoid,” she commented.

It was added that she has suffered from heart palpitations due to the stress he has put her under and no longer feels safe in her own home.

It was revealed that the defendant has 20 previous court appearances showing a similar pattern involving violence, from 1999 onwards.

The damage caused to the victim’s door he kicked in was estimated to be £1,500, while the phone damage was valued at £250.

Defending Jarvis, Michael Scholes said: “I make it clear his behaviour was clearly and utterly unacceptable, and he apologised profusely for the way that he behaved.

“His guilty pleas at an early stage show his acceptance of responsibility.”

He also highlighted character references from people ‘who know him and speak of another side to him’, as well as how Jarvis has undertaken charity work for mental health charities in the past.

Before passing sentence, judge Robert Trevor Jones said: “There is a pattern of similar behaviour that you have shown on previous occasions with at least two other female partners, which is an extremely worrying tendency.”

Jarvis, of Smith Drive in Orford, was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison.

He was also made the subject of a restraining order banning him from contacting the victim for the next six years.