Brighton man jailed for 'years of violent domestic abuse' against woman

Sussex Police said Shaun Kent, 31, of Sandhurst Road in Brighton, routinely abused his victim, a 23-year-old woman named Darcy, over a period of four years, taking control of many aspects of her life and subjecting her to psychological and physical attacks.

Kent, who worked as a bricklayer, deleted Darcy’s social media accounts and turned up unannounced at social occasions a number of times, behaving violently and threateningly. Sometimes the events would be at locations Darcy had not revealed to Kent, suggesting he was monitoring her movements, police added.

When physically out of his reach, he would bombard her with texts and phone calls, police said.

Sussex Police said the controlling behaviour was part of a concerted effort to stop his victim speaking to other men under any circumstances, including members of her own family.

In a victim impact statement which she personally read out in court, Darcy said Kent ‘completely destroyed my self-worth’ and severed all contact with her friends, tore her family apart and left her unemployed and isolated.

Police said psychological, belittling abuse went alongside violent attacks, including targeting surgery scars as they healed, which left significant, long-lasting injuries.

Kent was arrested in February 2019, but soon after broke his bail conditions by impersonating a man a friend of Darcy’s to contact her and try to convince her to drop the allegations, police added. He arranged a meeting, and when Darcy arrived she saw it was Kent in his car.

He was subsequently charged with engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour, causing actual bodily harm, intimidating a witness, sexual assault and assault by beating.

Police said at Lewes Crown Court on Friday, March 17, Kent pleaded guilty to all charges except sexual assault, which the court ordered to remain on file.

He was sentenced to 32 months in prison and given a restraining order.

Concluding her victim impact statement, Darcy said: “There are still dark days and the feeling of sadness that I carry with me. I want Kent to know that he did not ruin me and that he in fact is, was and forever shall be a woman beater and a monster of a human being.

“I may still have to live with the memory of what you did to me but I am a survivor of your abuse. I hope that you are never given the opportunity to do this again and I hope that no other women will have to suffer like I did.”

Investigations Supervisor Sharon Rintoul said: “The account shared by Darcy of her abuse at the hands of Shaun Kent demonstrates the devastating impact domestic abuse has on the lives of victims and their families.

“The bravery she has shown in supporting this investigation through to prosecution, addressing her abuser directly in court and seeing him put behind bars cannot be overstated.

“I would like to thank her for that bravery and reaffirm Sussex Police’s commitment to combating violence against women and girls, bringing perpetrators of domestic abuse to justice and safeguarding their victims.”