A MAN from Prestatyn who demonstrated “appalling coercive behaviour” to his ex-partner has been jailed.

Liam Grimwood, 30, of Clos Dol-Y-Coed, was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment at Caernarfon Crown Court today (April 26).

He was also handed a 10-year restraining order, preventing him from contacting his victim, Emma Blackwell, during that time.

Grimwood had entered guilty pleas to his five charges yesterday, when a trial had been due to begin.

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Prosecuting, Elen Owen told the court that, at 6.25am on December 17, 2022, police received a call from Ms Blackwell’s mother, after her daughter arrived at her house with facial and head injuries.

Ms Blackwell and Grimwood had been in a relationship since January of that year.

On December 16, she had attended an appointment for beauty treatment, but Grimwood took issued with how long she was out of the house for.

She received numerous texts and calls from him, and was accused of infidelity.

That evening, Ms Blackwell went into the bathroom of the house where she lived with Grimwood “just to get away from him”.

He forced his way in to the bathroom, grabbed her hair and punching her.

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Matters calmed for a while, but then escalated again in the kitchen, with Grimwood running outside in pursuit of Ms Blackwell, demanding that she give him her phone.

She refused, put her phone down her top, and shouted for help.

Later, after returning to the house, she was punched by Grimwood, who also squeezed her neck.

Ms Blackwell fell on the floor and hit her head, but tried to defend herself by hitting Grimwood with a tin opener.

He then followed her upstairs, making references to a former partner of Ms Blackwell’s; a “constant theme” in their relationship.

Grimwood then jumped on her on a bed, telling her: “I’m going to f***ing kill you”, before smothering her with a pillow present on to her face, which stopped her from breathing.

Ms Blackwell said she was “seeing stars” at this point, before she was later punched repeatedly to the head by Grimwood, causing her eye to swell up.

When she eventually escaped, she “managed to get to her mother’s house in a very distressed state”.

Grimwood had been violent to her on numerous previous occasions, but had “made her life hell” for the last six months of their relationship.

He would demand access to her phone, force her to put her phone on loudspeaker when calling her friends, call her “crazy” and “fat”, and accused her of infedility.

A statement in February from Ms Blackwell, a mother of three, read that she was still having nightmares about the incident and was getting five hours’ sleep a night at most.

Grimwood had also previously threatened to burn down her stepfather’s home.

He had numerous previous convictions, including for drugs-related offences and for theft.

Defending, Paul Wood said Grimwood had suffered with long-term anxiety and depression, for which he has been medicated for some time.

Grimwood also had an operation on his heart in 2009 after being stabbed 13 times, leaving him with a U-shaped scar from one armpit to the other.

This, Mr Wood said, “needs to be further operated on”, adding that, when Grimwood was last in prison, he had to attend hospital appointments on 20 occasions.

He is in “constant pain”, has a high heart rate, and could not attend a prison gym or undertake physical work, Mr Wood said.

Inviting the shortest custodial sentence possible, Mr Wood said: “It’s quite clear that it does have an impact on how custody affects him.”

Sentencing, Recorder Neil Owen-Casey said Grimwood’s “appalling coercive behaviour” caused his relationship to come to a “dramatic and traumatic” end.

He told Grimwood that he had “absolutely no insight into your behaviour, and no consideration for Ms Blackwell as a person”.

Recorder Owen-Casey added: “There is, very clearly, a pattern established over a significant period of time.

“Your approach to this case has been to place the blame on Ms Blackwell, and to see yourself as the victim.

“You simply do not understand your behaviour, nor its impact upon others.”