Steven Farrell, 50, subjected his girlfriend to horrific physical abuse, suffocating, beating and threatening to kill her before a concerned friend called the police
A “pathologically jealous” boyfriend forced dog faeces into his girlfriend’s mouth, strangled the animal and threatened to kill her.
Steven Farrell carried out a relentless campaign of abuse throughout the couple’s relationship, which began shortly after he was released from jail in October 2024.
Preston Crown Court heard Farrell would regularly take cocaine and moved into the woman’s home in Rossendale within just months of meeting her. The 50-year-old insisted on walking his girlfriend to and from work, and regularly confiscated and smashed her phone – but used it to reply to messages from concerned pals.
The woman was also subjected to horrific physical abuse, during which Farrell would gag her to stop her from screaming, Preston Crown Court heard.
On April 25, the woman refused to go clothes shopping with Farrell. He went out to buy cocaine and returned a short time later and accused her of cheating on him. He put a plastic bag over her head and told her: “I’ll kill you next time.” Half an hour later he began strangling her dog with its lead, the court heard.
At 1am the following morning, Farrell dragged the woman out of bed and threw a hairdryer at her head, injuring her. She kicked him out of the house, but at 6am, he returned and let himself in with a spare key.
Later that day, a neighbour heard screaming and called the police, but Farrell warned her “you’d better say nowt” and she told officers they had just had a verbal disagreement.
The following day, Farrell called the woman’s workplace telling them she had overslept, but he had intentionally turned her alarm off, the court heard. During this time, he held a knife to the woman’s throat and forced a dog bag into her mouth, which split causing faeces to go into her mouth.
He then attacked her, causing bruising to her legs, breasts and arm. Later, her friend arrived and called the police, reports Lancashire Live.
When officers arrived at the house, the woman was sitting on the sofa, looking “exhausted”. Asked what had happened, she said: “Just arguments.” Her friend gestured to the officers that Farrell was still at the address, and he was arrested trying to flee through the garden. He said: “I’ve not done anything like that. She’s making it up.”
Farrell, of Mintridge Close, Manchester, later pleaded guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour, suffocation and ABH.
In a victim statement, the woman said she was left “covered in bruises” and was scared for her life when Farrell put the bag over her head. She believed he was going to kill her, the court heard. “This will have an emotional impact for the rest of my life”, she said.
The woman now suffers from PTSD and struggles to sleep as she wakes with flashbacks and memories of what happened to her.
Sentencing, Recorder Michelle Brown said: “Your offending was designed to belittle and humiliate her, and instil fear. The ABH was prolonged. You used a knife to threaten her, punched and kicked her and attempted to force faeces down her throat.”
She said Farrell was a dangerous offender and sentenced him to three years and five months in prison, with a year’s extended licence period to protect the public.
