MAN JAILED AFTER SUBJECTING HIS PARTNER TO OVER EIGHT YEARS OF PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ABUSE
A man was sentenced to prison after subjecting his former partner to over eight years of sexual abuse, along with controlling and coercive behavior, strangulation, and physical violence.Scott Herbert, 57 years old and residing on Bishops Walk in Forthampton, Tewkesbury, appeared before Gloucester Crown Court on Friday (June 5) and received a sentence of 10 years and six months in jail.
Herbert admitted to one charge of controlling and coercive conduct and three counts of assault causing actual bodily harm.
He was also convicted after a trial held in October 2025 of one count of rape and one count of non-fatal strangulation.
Upon release, Herbert will be registered as a sex offender and will need to adhere to related conditions.
The court revealed that Herbert had maintained a romantic relationship with the victim for several years, beginning in 2017 after an accidental car collision between their vehicles.
On March 14, 2025, police were informed by a friend of the victim, who reported her involvement in a crime because she was aware of Herbert's abusive conduct.
It was alleged that he had inflicted physical, sexual, and psychological abuse on her, leading to multiple injuries including bruises.
Furthermore, Herbert was accused of forcing sexual acts upon her without consent.
Herbert was detained the following day, March 15, 2025.
During a video interview, the victim described five separate incidents involving physical and sexual abuse.
One episode involved Herbert punching her face in January 2022, during a drunken rage, which allegedly resulted in her nose breaking.
She later retracted this statement under pressure from Herbert.
In December 2024, Herbert reportedly assaulted her by grabbing her hair, dragging her across their home, and attempting to throw her outside.
During this assault, he took and damaged her mobile phone and caused bruising on her legs and knees.
The victim also recounted an incident from February 14, 2025, where she and Herbert stayed at a London hotel.
Herbert had paid for the room, and she believed he expected sexual favors.
At the hotel, Herbert insisted they should have sex before going to dinner or drinks.
When she refused, he assaulted her both physically and sexually, punching her three times and strangling her to the point she feared she might die.
Around a week later Herbert assaulted the woman following an argument and told her to "think of herself as lucky".
The last incident to be recalled took place in March 2025.
The woman described how she had met up with Herbert and that he had bought a large amount of sex toys which he wanted to use.
Herbert ignored the victim's wishes and once again made her have non-consensual sex with him.
During conversations with police the woman said that Herbert would body shame her appearance and that he had hit her multiple times, previously spat in her face and strangled her.
This caused the woman to be frightened of Herbert and in fear that he would hurt her more seriously.
She stated that there had been around 50 instances of assaults and threats throughout their relationship.
As part of the investigation Herbert's partner provided a Victim Impact Statement which explained the impact of Herbert's actions.
She said: "You broke me, mentally, emotionally, physically and sexually.
You knew this but continued to chip away anyway.
You broke my peace of mind and my spirit with your systematic humiliations.
"Your belittling, your devaluing of me, your constant bullying and continuous mocking of me from how I looked, right down to what I wore and to the car I drove, nothing that I ever did or chose seemed to be good enough.
"Your body shaming of me went way above my comprehension and has left lasting damage to my confidence.
You seemed to get some perverse kick and enjoyment from seeing my pain and sadness.
"You intimidated me, mocked me and even laughed in my face when you could see the effect your words were having.
I felt like I was a game or a plaything to you and just to take your frustrations out on.
"I felt uncomfortable with your demands.
You made me feel ugly and old.
You took away my self-esteem and confidence.
Made me feel stupid, worthless, not fit for purpose, irrelevant.
I lost credibility.
I felt insignificant.
And it just dehumanised me."
