Man who beat and imprisoned girlfriend he wanted to be 'virginal sex robot' is jailed

Christopher Cooksey began abusing his partner after becoming jealous of her previous relationships

Christopher Cooksey, 33, from Pontypool, Gwent was given an extended six-year sentence for beating up his girlfriend and holding her hostage for a week to hide her injuries (PA)

A man who “ruthlessly” beat his girlfriend and held her hostage for a week to hide her injuries has been jailed.

Christopher Cooksey, 33, began abusing his partner, who he wanted to keep as his “virginal sex robot”, after becoming jealous of her previous relationships.

Newport Crown Court heard Cooksey started a relationship with Stephenie Watkins, 29, after the pair met in a gym in September 2017.

Weeks later, he carried out the first of a string of attacks on her.

In one attack in December he found a picture on her phone of a man she had been “interested in” two years previously.

Cooksey, from Glosters Parade, Pontypool, Gwent, repeatedly punched her while she lay in bed, leaving her with a black eye and a bruised arm before forcing her to drink a bottle of rum.

He then kept her as his “prisoner” for a week to hide her physical injuries, and used her phone to tell her employers she would be off work following a car crash.

Cooksey also controlled Ms Watkis’s choice of clothes and make-up, and stole her phone, cutting her off from family and friends after she moved into his flat, rendering her “utterly dependent” on him.

Prosecutor Roger Griffiths read a victim impact statement from Ms Watkis on Wednesday, in which she said she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression because of the violent relationship.

Ms Watkis said: “He always used to say ‘this is not a game’ and that’s what I hear in my nightmares.

“He’s hugely impacted my social skill and I’m now very distrustful of people.

“Before, I was a bubbly, friendly and welcoming person. I was carefree. This is no longer the case.”

Cooksey was found guilty of two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and false imprisonment.

Harry Baker, defending, told the court at the sentencing hearing that Cooksey had no previous convictions, and both his client and Ms Watkis had admitted it was a “bad relationship”.

Mr Baker said: “It can be when you are in one you do things you wouldn’t normally do, and won’t do again.”

Judge Thomas Crowther QC said Cooksey became “obsessed” with how many other men Ms Watkis had slept with before him.

“It became very quickly clear that you had a fragile ego, a thin-skinned nature and a vile temper.

“I have no doubt you wanted Ms Watkis to be your partner, but not as a human, a woman, but rather as a canvas upon which you could project your fantasy image of a woman who had no history, no past, no family, no interest except you.

“She didn’t match your desire for some blank virginal sex robot.

“You attacked her, punching her as she lay on the floor curled into a ball, as she put it, ‘like a dog’.

“You isolated her within your home. You made her subject to your dominance. You enforced that by ruthless violence, using your physical power to subjugate her, and by demeaning behaviour.

“You have caused serious physical and enduring psychological harm. You drove her to the brink of tragedy.”

Cooksey was given a six-year extended sentence, meaning he will spend four in custody before he is released on licence. He was also given a 10-year restraining order in relation to Ms Watkis.

Additional reporting by Press Association

The free 24-hour National Domestic Violence Helpline, run by Women’s Aid and Refuge, is a national service for women experiencing domestic violence and for their family, friends, colleagues and others calling on their behalf. It can be reached on 0808 2000 247