A man who stabbed his partner in the head during a four-hour long attack after an argument over a missing cigarette lighter has been jailed for more than 12 years.
Jake Gurr began a relationship with Anisa Hutchinson after meeting through mutual friends three years ago, but his controlling and abusive behaviour soon steered their relationship in a dark direction.
The 27-year-old routinely went into physically abusive rages, during which he would accuse his 19-year-old lover of being unfaithful with his friends.
Miss Hutchinson said in a statement read to the court: “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. He said no-one would ever love me.”
A judge heard that the turbulent relationship came to a head in May this year when a lighter was lost on a night out and Gurr launched a sustained violent attack on Ms Hutchinson.
The court was told that he repeatedly beat her for four hours, threatened to rape her and when she attempted to escape, he stabbed her in the head with a knife.
The victim’s statement read: “He beat me for hours – he stabbed me in the back of the head. It was horrific and I thought I was going to die.
“I now have panic attacks – he has ruined my life. But I am rebuilding my confidence.”
Police were called during the incident by a neighbour who overheard the disturbance and Miss Hutchinson was taken to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham, where her inch-long head wound was treated.
The court was told that after the attack, the victim and her mother would call the police often but when they arrived she was too scared to say anything. Friends of Miss Hutchinson were also concerned the defendant would kill her as he was already on probation for previously strangling her in public.
Detective Chief Inspector Dal 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.”
Gurr, formerly of Bucklers Court, North End, Portsmouth, Hants., was sentenced to 12 and a half years in jail by a judge at Portsmouth Crown Court and was made the subject of a 15-year restraining order.
