A 25 year old man from Swanage has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison after a court heard how he made death threats towards a former girlfriend and accused her of cheating on him if she turned off a location app on her phone.
Benjamin David Jason Albin appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 13th January 2023 to receive his jail sentence along with a seven year restraining order after he was found guilty of controlling and coercive behaviour. He had also previously admitted criminal damage.
Benjamin David Jason Albin from Swanage
Contact his victim excessively on a daily basis
The charges related to his behaviour during a relationship in the early part of 2021.
Evidence produced before the court detailed how Albin would contact his victim excessively on a daily basis.
She would start 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 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. Albin also caused criminal damage to her possessions.
Mobile phone evidence was secured showing messages in which Albin made various threats to the victim, including threats to kill her and anyone she was speaking to.
“Psychological and emotional abuse”
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.”
Support for anyone experiencing domestic abuse
Dorset Police is urging anyone who has been a victim of domestic abuse, or knows someone who is being abused, to report it to them. This can be done in confidence.
If abuse is in progress and someone is in immediate danger, call 999. Otherwise, contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk/contact or by calling 101. Crimes can also be reported anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their website at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
More information on how to get help and details of agencies that can offer support for someone experiencing domestic abuse is on the Dorset Police website
