21-Year-Old Sent to Prison After Terrifying Reign of Coercion and Abuse

A 21-year-old man has been jailed for three years after carrying out a frightening campaign of control, violence and harassment against his former partner.
Kian Rowe pinned the woman down with his knees and strangled her with both hands during one attack, leaving her struggling to breathe. Carlisle Crown Court heard that this was just one incident in a wider pattern of coercive and threatening behaviour earlier this year.
Prosecutor Tim Evans described Rowe’s actions as “determined, persistent and, bluntly, sinister.” Rowe verbally abused the woman, assaulted her, limited her contact with friends and family, dictated what she wore, and created fake social media accounts to issue threats.
Police first became involved after Rowe called them and falsely accused the woman of slapping and stalking him. The court heard that this was a calculated attempt to manipulate events, which initially resulted in her arrest.
Later, Rowe harassed her with around 100 phone calls, dozens of messages, monitored her movements and even offered £400 to others to attack her.
The victim told officers she feared for her life and experienced panic attacks and recurring nightmares about being strangled. Despite this, she expressed determination to reclaim her freedom, saying: “All I want to say to Kian is ‘you don’t control my life any more’.”
Rowe pleaded guilty to non-fatal strangulation, controlling or coercive behaviour and stalking. The court was told of his troubled upbringing, remorse and stated desire to change.
Judge Michael Fanning said he had considered a psychological report, Rowe’s young age and his guilty pleas before imposing an immediate three-year prison sentence. Rowe was also handed a 10-year restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim.