A former Royal Marine faces prison after threatening to kill his partner and set their home ablaze during a heated argument
It all went down during a fight last July. Gareth made a throat-slitting gesture while he was arguing with his partner. Things escalated, and he said some pretty scary stuff. Fast forward to September, and after a night out, he got aggressive again. He threw food and swore at her, which led to her leaving the house.
Later, he sent her a text saying he’d set fire to their car. Yikes! The police got involved after someone tipped them off about his threats. When they caught him, he was at the hospital getting treated. He admitted to having some serious issues with alcohol and drugs, which he said messed with his memory of the events.
Gareth has a bit of a record, too. He’s had previous convictions for alcohol-related offenses and assaults. His lawyer mentioned that his time in the military and his experiences in Iraq really affected him. He’s been trying to get help for his addiction while in prison, which is a step in the right direction.
In court, the judge noted how aggressive Gareth had been and how chilling his threats were, especially given his background. He ended up getting a 14-month sentence, but he’ll only serve half of that in jail. The rest will be in the community, hopefully getting his life back on track.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, there’s help out there. You can reach out to the Live Fear Free helpline for support.
