A 29-year-old man had been sentenced to seven years and two months with a restraining order until further notice, after subjecting a woman to repeated domestic abuse.

Ernie Jones, 29 (DOB: 27/12/1996), of Godalming was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on 10 April 2026 for two counts of controlling and coercive behaviour (CCB), actual bodily harm, and stalking with fear of violence.

On 20 May 2025, police were called to an address and engaged with a woman, who disclosed eight years of physical and psychological domestic abuse.

Between 1 January 2017 and 11 June 2025, Jones engaged in behaviour that was controlling or coercive, causing serious effect to the victim. Throughout this period, the victim was subjected to physical assault on multiple occasions.

Jones’s behaviour would include punching and kicking the victim in the face, stamping on the victim’s head, threatening the victim with a knife, damaging the victims property, including her phone, verbal abuse, preventing the victim from seeing their children, threatening to take the children away or put them into care and making false reports of child neglect to social services.

In an incident on 23 February 2025, Jones assaulted the victim resulting in actual bodily harm. On this occasion, Jones was driving the victim’s car, whist she was sat in the passenger seat with their two young children in the back. Following a disagreement over brambles to the side of the road causing damage to the vehicle, Jones began beating the victim whilst stopped at traffic lights.

Jones was arrested on 21 May 2025 and released on conditional bail. Between 19 May and 10 June, Jones was in breach of these conditions on several occasions, with repeated unwanted contact amounting to a charge for stalking.

Throughout this period, his behaviour – namely including frequent communication, attending family home unannounced, contacting family members and making threats – continued to cause the victim serious distress.

Reflecting on the abuse, the survivor shared: “For eight years, I lived under Ernie’s control and abuse. This was not a misunderstanding. It was not a handful of isolated incidents. It was a deliberate and repeated pattern of behaviour, choices he made, that slowly and systematically stripped away my independence, my confidence, and my sense of who I was.

“I lived in constant fear. Fear of his moods, fear of his reactions, fear of saying the wrong word or making the wrong decision. I was always walking on eggshells.

“Over time, I stopped feeling like a person in my own right. I felt like I existed only to serve Ernie, to meet his needs before my own, to keep him calm, to prevent his anger. I felt like a slave in my own life, constantly catering to my partner out of fear of what would happen if I did not. I felt worthless and degraded.

“The house we lived in was never truly my home. Instead of feeling safe and settled, I felt like a guest in a place where I had no real security or control. Home should be somewhere you feel safe, protected, and valued. Instead, I felt small, unwelcome, and constantly on edge of when I would next get thrown out.

“One of the deepest pains I carry is the impact this has had on my children. They saw the fear in me. They saw my distress. They saw me withdraw emotionally because I was trying to survive. As their mother, that breaks my heart.

“This abuse has changed me forever. It has changed my children forever and our lives will never be the same.

“Since leaving the relationship, and rebuilding our lives, I have had to create stability for my children while still healing myself and trying to navigate who I am as an individual. It has been exhausting and frightening at times, but I am determined that their future will be different from our past. I am working every day to show them that was not love, that control is not care, and that no one has the right to manipulate another person.

“I am determined to heal, rebuild and move forward. But the reality is that the impact of all these years will never fully leave me.

“I am truly grateful for the support and dedication shown throughout this case. The efforts of both the police and the outreach team have made a meaningful difference, they have saved me. I am especially thankful for my allocated outreach worker and DA caseworker whose care, commitment, and support have meant so much every step of the way, I don’t know what I would have done without them”

DC Emily Heath led the domestic abuse investigation and worked with the survivor to achieve the successful outcome. Emily said: “The survivor has shown tremendous courage in reporting the abuse and supporting the investigation throughout. Despite experiencing abusive, violent and intimidating behaviour.

“No one should be treated this way in a relationship. I commend her bravery in coming forward and hope she can now begin to rebuild her life after this traumatic experience.

“I would also like to recognise the vital support provided to the victim by our Domestic Abuse Caseworker and partner outreach services, whose professionalism, care and practical assistance have helped ensure she has been supported throughout and provided excellent care and advice in navigating a way to re-start her life.”

We work closely with local outreach partners to ensure anyone experiencing domestic abuse has the support and guidance they need at this incredibly difficult time. If you are worried about someone’s behaviour, or concerned about a friend or family member, there is support available to you. You’re not alone. Please click here for more information.