Man jailed after stalking and assaulting woman

A man has been jailed for more than two years for stalking a woman in Sandbach.

James Hall, of Winsford, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Thursday 8 May where he was sentenced to 30 months for controlling and coercive behaviour, stalking and assault by beating.

The 32-year-old, who previously lived in Sandbach, had been in an on/off relationship with the victim since 2021. The victim stated Hall would message her or contact others to check on her whereabouts, making her send him her location along with images to confirm where she was.

The victim also reported he limited her access to her friends and even contacted others pretending to be her and then deleting them as friends on her social media accounts.

Hall was physically violent towards the victim, on one occasion grabbing her wrist to take her phone. He had also kicked her, forcibly restrained her and was physically imtimidating, including blocking the door and damaging her property.

The victim stated that Hall was told the relationship was over however he still wanted to see her and did not want her seeing or speaking to anyone else. Even throughout the course of the relationship, he would spy on her property and monitor her movements.

On 24th January 2023, Hall made 126 calls or text messages to the victim in the space of just two hours.

On 26th January 2023, Hall was arrested on suspicion of stalking. Following enquiries, he was charged with multiple offences and pleaded guilty at court.

Detective Constable Simon Knowles said:

“I welcome the custodial sentence handed to Hall, who pretended to care for the victim in this case while causing her an immense amount of distress due to his behaviour.

“Nobody should have to experience what the victim went through and if anything can be achieved from this case, I hope that it encourages other victims of stalking and controlling and coercive behaviour to come forward and report it to us.

“Cheshire Constabulary takes any allegations of this nature extremely seriously, and any allegation will be thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority.

“Victims should never feel ashamed to talk about what they have been subjected to. They will receive the help and support they need from our specialist officers.”

You can report information to Cheshire Police on 101 or via: 

www.cheshire.police.uk/tell-us

Pictured - James Hall of Winsford.