Ethan Dighton secures conviction of repeat domestic abuse offender following seven day trial

Ethan Dighton was instructed to prosecute the trial of R v DC. DC faced an indictment alleging, among other things, that he assaulted his partner occasioning her actual bodily harm, engaged in controlling or coercive behaviour in that relationship and threatened his partner with a knife.

During the course of the seven-day trial at Canterbury Crown Court before Ms Recorder Walters, the jury were taken to a 200 page bundle in which the controlling and coercive behaviour exhibited by DC was laid bare. Messages between the pair demonstrated DC’s use of violence, threats, and suicide attempts to subjugate and manipulate the victim, herself being vulnerable as a survivor of cancer as well as being pregnant at the time of the principal incident of violence.

The Prosecution alleged that on one occasion, the Defendant dragged the victim by her hair and came at her with a knife, stabbing the coat that she was wearing repeatedly.

DC was convicted by the jury of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour, and threatening with a bladed article.

The learned Judge ordered a dangerousness assessment and adjourned sentence until the Autumn.