SIMON TIBBLE FROM BRIDGEND: HORRIFIC ABUSE AND RELEASE NEAR EX-GIRLFRIEND IN SOUTH WALES

In a disturbing case that has shocked the local community, Simon Tibble, a 37-year-old man from Bridgend, has been released from custody despite a history of severe abuse and violence against his former partner. The details of his past crimes reveal a pattern of brutality and intimidation that left his victim, Sophie Crockett, deeply traumatized.

Back in September 2018, Tibble's violent actions came to public attention when it was revealed that he had subjected Sophie to two years of relentless abuse. During this period, he reportedly treated her in a manner that can only be described as dehumanizing, including an incident where he attempted to force-feed her like a baby. The violence was so extreme that police intervened, warning Sophie that her life was in imminent danger. Officers were dispatched to patrol her street near Aberdare, South Wales, in an effort to protect her from further harm.

The situation escalated when Tibble confined Sophie within her home for three days, an act that led to his arrest and subsequent charges of false imprisonment. He pleaded guilty to this charge, and notably, the court did not pursue evidence on ten counts of rape. Despite the severity of his actions, Tibble was deemed a significant threat to women in general and was consequently detained indefinitely under a Section 37/41 order, a legal measure used when an individual requires psychiatric treatment but poses a risk to public safety.

In 2013, at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court, Judge Richard Twomlow explicitly stated, “You are a danger to all women,” emphasizing the gravity of Tibble’s threat. However, less than four years later, Tibble sought to challenge his detention through a medical tribunal. Correspondence from the probation service indicates that he has been back on the streets since July 2017, a revelation that has caused significant distress to Sophie Crockett.

Sophie, who chose to waive her right to anonymity, described her shock upon learning of Tibble’s release. She recounted feeling as if time had frozen, overwhelmed by a sense of disbelief and emotional numbness. Her trauma manifests in nightmares and hallucinations, often feeling as though she is reliving her ordeal.

Her suffering began at the age of 17 when she met Tibble, then 30. Sophie, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, struggled with social interactions and had never previously been in a romantic relationship. Her account of their first sexual encounter is harrowing; she felt as if she was being torn apart and described Tibble’s violence during intimacy as if she was being used like a rag doll. She also revealed that she attempted to leave him once, only to be threatened with death by Tibble, who warned he would kill her, her father, and her dog. Fearing for her life, she was forced to return to him.

Throughout their relationship, Tibble exerted control over Sophie, even going so far as to wave a hunting knife in her face and threaten her with death, saying, “We will both die today.” The next morning, he ominously told her, “I could break your neck now and no-one would know.”

Recently, it has been reported that Tibble has been relocated to a halfway house in Bridgend, raising concerns about the safety of his former victim and the wider community. Sophie’s ordeal and the subsequent release of her abuser highlight ongoing issues related to the management and monitoring of dangerous offenders, especially those with a history of violence against women.