OXFORDSHIRE WOMAN BEATEN BY PARTNER 'LIVING IN FEAR' OF HIS EARLY PRISON RELEASE
The offender in this case is Christopher Ecob.He was convicted at Oxford Crown Court and sentenced to 27 months in jail for multiple charges including strangulation, assault causing actual bodily harm, and criminal damage.
Despite the sentence, due to the government's emergency release programme aimed at reducing the prison population, Ecob is set to be released early after serving only 10 months of his sentence.
He was described as having lied about his background, falsely claiming to be single and in the SAS, when in fact he was an agricultural engineer who had started asking for money.
During offending, he strangled Suzanne Kavanagh and punched her multiple times, with Suzanne recounting that he "went boom, punched me straight in the face.
I went down.
I believe from evidence from hospital that I was unconscious but I know he then punched me and punched me several more times." Suzanne also reported that Ecob told her he wanted to leave the SAS and wanted a future together, claiming he needed £16,000 to pay taxes on a pension from the SAS, which raised alarms but was overlooked due to the coercive nature of the relationship.
After serving 10 months of his sentence, Ecob is scheduled to be released around the week commencing 23rd December 2024, which has caused Suzanne to live in fear, describing herself as "a prisoner in her own home".
She had previously called at his house twice to ask for money back; during these visits, Ecob assaulted and attempted to choke her.
Suzanne has since set up a petition urging the government to halt his early release, citing her fear and the impact of the assault on her health and employment.
Authorities justify the release plan by stating that the prison system is under extreme pressure, and offenders are given strict conditions on release that, if broken, result in return to prison.
Suzanne hopes her advocacy will empower other victims of domestic abuse to speak out, and she continues to fear for her safety and future.
