Coventry man who hid a dark secret put his girlfriend through a ‘living nightmare’

A “violent and controlling” Coventry man has been jailed after subjecting his girlfriend to a campaign of twisted abuse which included “burning her with a lighter and holding a knife to her throat”. Omar White was said to have turned her life into a ‘living nightmare’ after the pair met on Instagram.

She got off to a good start with White, who met her family and moved in with her within a month, reports BirminghamLive. But at the time the 29-year-old managed to hide his “anger, rage and aggression”, which landed him in jail for attacking his ex-partner with a baseball bat, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

His latest girlfriend, who was vulnerable due to debilitating health conditions, had been close to her family and friends, was proud of her home and had saved up to £10,000. But within months of meeting White, her flat was trashed, her body was covered in bruises and she had become completely isolated from everyone, as well as deep in debt, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

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Between July and October 2023, White damaged his belongings, including his cell phone, guitar and television. He also punched her in the chest and face, strangled her so she couldn’t breathe and burned her with a lighter, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

During a vicious campaign of abuse against his girlfriend, who lived in Birmingham, White also held a knife to her throat and threatened to burn down her parents’ house with them inside and attached cable ties to the doors to prevent her from go away He admitted an offense of control and coercive behavior and was jailed for four years at Birmingham Crown Court.

Prosecutor Lisa Hancox said: “Before she had the misfortune of meeting White, she was a happy young woman who enjoyed a good social life and a close relationship with her family. She enjoyed regularly going with her mother to boot and shopping.

“Her father helped her with administrative tasks, but otherwise she lived independently. She was proud of her flat and by living sensibly she had managed to save around £10,000.”

Ms Hancox continued: “By the time the relationship ended, and it did so as a result of police intervention in October 2023, she can only be described as a shell of her former self, covered in wounds all over her body. Her apartment had been damaged by White, her property destroyed and her savings completely gone due to constant spending at his insistence.

White and the unnamed victim met on Instagram and “the relationship started well” as they got to know each other, with White meeting her parents and then moving in after a month, Birmingham Crown Court heard. Ms Hancox said: “Slowly but surely he began to control every aspect of her life through a campaign of fear, intimidation, threats and violence.”

White smashed his phone by throwing it off a balcony and controlled his contact with her family, telling her he would not speak to them behind his back, Birmingham Crown Court heard. He branded her parents “narcissistic” and claimed he was there to “save” her.

White prevented the woman from going anywhere by taking her house and car keys and in fits of rage “destroyed” her TV, guitar and one of the walls of her property, Birmingham Crown Court heard. Ms Hancox then detailed the violence saying the defendant punched the victim in the chest and jaw, strangled her and used a lighter to burn her hand and leg “several times”.

She said: “He thought he was looking at someone else: jealousy was a constant theme. He threatened her with a knife, holding it to her throat. He threatened to burn down her parents’ house.”

In October 2023, the victim’s concerned parents lost contact with her and called 999. Officers visited her home but the couple were not there, Birmingham Crown Court heard. Police saw them walking down Bristol Road in Birmingham the next day and arrested White.

In a statement, she described the “living nightmare of a life” White subjected her to including physical abuse and how she believed she would be killed. She detailed how her strict diet, due to her health problems, had been replaced by eating fast food several times a day and how her bank balance was now minus £5,000.

She also highlighted the ongoing effects of nightmares, panic attacks, trust issues and no longer feeling safe on her own, Birmingham Crown Court heard. In 2022, White was sentenced to 22 months for assault and criminal damage for hitting another ex-partner with a baseball bat, breaking his arm and trashing his house after he left, reports BirminghamLive.

Defending, Will Smout said White had written a letter of remorse and had “taken the first steps towards self-reflection”. He said: “He points to childhood trauma and there is a clear theme of abandonment.

“When he was 13, his mother died. He lived with his stepfather, but the stepfather abandoned the house and the family.

“Mr White identified that as a result of the abandonment he suffered PTSD and crippling anxiety. He accepts within relationships where he struggles to build trust.”

But Melbourne judge Inman KC pointed out that White had denied wrongdoing until the day of his trial, by which time the victim had already been questioned at a pre-recorded court hearing. He said: “I’m afraid I don’t think your background or your current explanation or statement of remorse has any mitigating effect given the seriousness of this case.”

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