Judge jails violent thug who poses 'a significant danger to women'

Joshua Spry has served a previous jail sentence for an “almost identical” offence against another woman.

Spry, 30, committed his latest offending against his new partner after meeting her on a dating app.

Holly Clegg, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court that the victim began a relationship with Spry in December 2020.

In October last year he began to show signs of paranoia and controlling behaviour towards her.

Ms Clegg said Spry questioned the victim about her behaviour towards other men and about previous partners.

When he was not satisfied with her answers, he would become verbally abusive.

The defendant would check her mobile phone to see who she had been in contact with.

The abuse became worse and on January 18 this year the couple were at her home in Leeds and he told her that he was “watching her”.

Later that day he accused her of looking at other men in the playground when she went to pick her children up from school.

He accused her of looking at a male teacher before punching her in the back of the head and to the jaw.

The following day he asked her intimate questions about former partners and punched her in the ribs and stomach. He also threatened to cut her throat with a knife.

Spry attacked the woman again the following day by punching her in the arm and questioning her for an hour after she received a call from her children’s school.

The victim told her sister about what Spry was doing to her but told her not to contact the police as she feared what would happen if she did.

However, the victim’s sister did contact the police and officers went to her home. Spry was arrested at the property but denied any wrongdoing.

The victim then revealed to officers the extent of Spry’s controlling behaviour.

She described how he had made her remove all photographs of men from her mobile phone and delete all male contact numbers.

Spry also ordered her to remove her ex-partner’s name from her Netflix account and gave her a few weeks to remove any evidence of him from the house.

The victim also became frightened when she found out on the internet that he had served a prison sentence for controlling behaviour to a former partner.

Spry, of Bond Street, Batley, pleaded guilty to controlling or coercive behaviour and three counts of common assault. The defendant appeared in court via a video link from prison.

Richard Barradell, mitigating, said: “His behaviour was completely unacceptable. He was jealous and overbearing.”

Judge Geoffrey Marson QC jailed Spry for 43 months.

He said: “The way you treated her in your jealous and paranoid state was brutal.

"It was cruel. It was cowardly and you should be ashamed of your behaviour.

"You controlled her life and terrified her.

"I am entirely satisfied that you pose a significant danger to any woman with whom you are in a relationship.”