Tewkesbury man jailed for years of abuse against former partner
The court heard 57-year-old Scott Herbert abused his partner for more than eight years, leaving her scared and traumatised
A man from Tewkesbury has been jailed after subjecting his former partner to over eight years of physical and sexual abuse.
Scott Herbert, 57, of Bishops Walk in Forthampton, appeared at Gloucester Crown Court on Friday (5 June) and was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison.
Herbert previously pleaded guilty to charges including controlling and coercive behaviour and three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was also found guilty after a trial in October last year of one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, one count of rape, and one count of non-fatal strangulation.
Herbert will also be placed onto the sex offenders register and must comply with conditions of this when he's released from prison.
The court heard how Herbert had been in an intimate relationship with the victim for several years, having first met her in 2017 after accidentally crashing into her car.
In March 2025 police were contacted by a friend of the victim who made a crime report on her behalf after becoming aware of Herbert's actions.
It was reported that he had been physically, sexually and mentally abusive to her and had assaulted her numerous times during the course of their relationship causing bruising to her body. As well as this it was also reported that Herbert had forced himself onto the victim and made her have non-consensual sex with him.
Herbert was arrested the following day (15 March 2025) and the victim took part in a video interview telling officers about the abuse.
The court heard how on one occasion Herbert had punched the victim in the face after becoming violent whilst drunk, breaking her nose however she retracted her statement to police after Herbert pressured her into doing so.
On another occasion it was reported that Herbert had assaulted the woman by grabbing her hair and dragging her across the house before trying to throw her outside.
During this incident Herbert took her mobile phone and smashed it damaging it and the assault caused bruising to the woman's legs and knees.
The victim stated that there had been around 50 instances of assaults and threats throughout her relationship with Herbert.
In a victim impact statement she said: "You broke me, mentally, emotionally, physically and sexually. You knew this but continued to chip away anyway. You broke my peace of mind and my spirit with your systematic humiliations.
"Your belittling, your devaluing of me, your constant bullying and continuous mocking of me from how I looked, right down to what I wore and to the car I drove, nothing that I ever did or chose seemed to be good enough.
"Your body shaming of me went way above my comprehension and has left lasting damage to my confidence. You seemed to get some perverse kick and enjoyment from seeing my pain and sadness.
"You intimidated me, mocked me and even laughed in my face when you could see the effect your words were having. I felt like I was a game or a plaything to you and just to take your frustrations out on.
"I felt uncomfortable with your demands. You made me feel ugly and old. You took away my self-esteem and confidence. Made me feel stupid, worthless, not fit for purpose, irrelevant. I lost credibility. I felt insignificant. And it just dehumanized me."
Following the sentencing Acting Detective Sergeant Jonathan Stokes from the Criminal Investigation Department said: "I thank the victim for having the strength to initially come forward and report the abuse she was suffering and for then going through the entire judicial process.
"It takes a lot of strength and courage to put yourself under this level of scrutiny, especially when you have experienced prolonged abuse over a number of years.
"It's clear that Herbert subjected her to a variety of offences over a number of years and she has been incredibly brave in being willing to stand in court and give evidence of his violent actions against her.
"Crimes such as these often happen behind closed doors between partners and without the victim being willing to go through all the different stages and processes, some of which couldn’t have been pleasant, we would not have known about the true level of Herbert's offending against her.
"Herbert's crimes have had a long lasting impact on the victim and she is still processing how to move forward as clearly articulated in her impactful personal statement.
"Hopefully now that he has been sentenced for the offences he committed against her, she can start to focus on the future and starting her life free from abuse and fear."