Man jailed for more than two years for controlling or coercive behaviour

MAN JAILED FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS FOR CONTROLLING OR COERCIVE BEHAVIOUR

A man aged 44 from Stowmarket has been sentenced to prison after admitting to controlling and coercive behaviour.

Steven Platt, whose residence remains unregistered but is associated with the Stowmarket area, appeared in Ipswich Crown Court on Monday, December 8.

He was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Additional charges of criminal damage and assault by beating were not pursued and remain on file.

The offences involved a single woman.

The court was informed that over roughly 18 months, Platt engaged in persistent unwanted contact with the victim.

This included sending threatening and abusive messages and emails through multiple platforms, and calling her from numbers that concealed his identity.

During the escalation of his actions, it was reported that the victim received up to 70 emails in a single day from Platt, along with further contacts through different channels.

His communications ranged from abusive and threatening to affectionate, with occasional references to his own well-being.

Platt was also subject to an indefinite restraining order.

In her Victim Personal Statement, the woman said: “I live in a constant state of anxiety, worry and self-doubt, and I lost so much of who I was.

“I feel like a shadow of the person I once was and it scares me I’ll never truly get the old version of me back.

“The control and manipulation I experienced caused me to lose trust in my own judgement and isolate myself from family and friends and the things that used to mean so much to me.”