Swanage man jailed for controlling and coercive behaviour

Benjamin Albin, who's 25, targeted a former partner

Author: Faye TryhornPublished 17th Jan 2023

A Swanage man's been jailed for two and a half years, for controlling and coercive behaviour against a former partner.

25 year old Benjamin David Jason Albin was found guilty at a previous hearing and has now been sentenced at Bournemouth Corwn Court.

He had also admitted criminal damage.

Albin has been handed a seven year restraining order, as well as his jail sentence.

The charges related to his behaviour during a relationship in the early part of 2021.

Albin would contact his victim excessively on a daily basis, receiving calls and messages within minutes of arriving at her workplace and the defendant would come and find her to see who she was with if he did not get a response.

He would also contact her friends if she didn’t answer, to try and find out who she was with.

Albin also insisted she install a location service on a mobile phone app so he could monitor her movements and would accuse her of cheating on him if it was ever turned off.

He would routinely check her mobile phone to see who she had been in contact with.

Mobile phone evidence was secured showing messages in which Albin made various threats to the victim, and anyone she was speaking to.

Detective Sergeant Eleanor Jones, of Bournemouth CID, said:

“We take all reports of domestic abuse extremely seriously and are committed to both supporting victims and taking robust action against offenders.

“Nobody deserves to be the victim of the kind of psychological and emotional abuse Benjamin Albin subjected his former partner to.

“I hope this case demonstrates that we will take action to ensure offenders such as Albin face the consequences of their actions.

“I want to praise the victim in this case for having the courage to come forward and report this awful behaviour to us. I hope her actions will inspire others to feel confident that they can report offences to police in the knowledge that they will be fully supported, with specialist officers supporting them from their initial police contact through to the court process.”

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