South Shields brute kept chainsaw under his bed in campaign of terror against partner

A controlling brute who exploited his partner's fear of the dark by removing fuses and would keep her locked up for long periods has been told he should carry a "red flag" as a warning to future women.

Garage manager Paul McKay made the victim sit in darkness when he knew she was scared, would lock her inside the house, shaved the back of her head to humiliate her and left her in such a state that a relative feared she had Stockholm Syndrome.

Kept a chainsaw under the bed

Newcastle Crown Court heard McKay, who kept a chainsaw under the bed, spent her rent money which meant she lost her home and if she tried to see friends he would threaten self harm.

McKay, 48, of Milton Street, South Shields, South Tyneside, admitted controlling and coercive behaviour and false imprisonment.

Judge Tim Gittins jailed him for three years and nine months for the "particularly calculated and unpleasant" offending and said: "This caused significant psychological harm.

"You need to change your behaviour, fast.

"The reality is for some time to come you need a red flag waved in front of you when you approach new partners so they are alert to the danger you might pose."

Judge Gittins issued a restraining order to protect the victim.

‘You are not going anywhere’

Prosecutor Robin Patton told the court the offending started early in the relationship and said: "She describes a pattern of controlling and coercive behaviour which included him restricting her liberty on multiple occasions, she believes about four of five.

"The defendant kept her inside the property and hid the keys, telling her 'you are not going anywhere'.

"He would exploit her fear of the dark by removing fuses form the property's fuse box, knowing she was afraid of the dark and he would leave her sat in darkness.

"He controlled her financially over a period of about 18 months, he controlled access to her own mobile, taking it from her so she couldn't contact friends.

"He required her to pay for all food and bills and used her rent money for himself, causing her to fall into arrears and lose her tenancy.

"After she moved into his address that deepened her dependency upon him."

The court heard the victim became so isolated that one relative who saw her deteriorating state described her as having the appearance of someone with Stockholm Syndrome, where a victim has positive feelings for their captor.

Mr Patton added: "The defendant degraded and humiliated her. Approximately three months before the police were called in the defendant came up behind her and shaved her on the back of the head, without any warning or explanation.

"Following an argument he threw the contents of an ashtray over her, shouting it contained her mother's ashes.

"He manipulated her and threatened self harm, he would record videos of himself, threatening to kill himself if she tried to see friends."

The court heard McKay filmed himself with a chainsaw and sent the footage to the victim, in a bid to "frighten" her.

He also made a recording of himself interrogating the victim while accusing her of having an affair.

Mr Patton told the court: "She describes he kept a chainsaw under the bed, along with other tools."

It was when the victim failed to show at a friend's house for New Year's Eve that the police became involved.

On the early morning of New Year's Day the friend used a key she had been given previously to get into the house and found the victim with a bad leg injury, said to have been caused by a television falling on it, and the emergency services were called.

In an impact statement, the victim said she was previously a "bubbly and outgoing" person but is now traumatised and has lost her job and home.

Paul Rooney, defending, said McKay had been drinking and taking cocaine at the time and added: "What he was doing became normalised in his head."

Mr Rooney said since being in custody on remand McKay had changed and wants to become a better person. McKay handed in references, has a good employment record and has done well in prison.