Man jailed after 10-hour torture of woman
The victim managed to escape after hours of verbal, physical and sexual abuse
A man has been jailed for 21 years and six months after torturing a woman for 10 hours.
This article does contain distressing images.
The man from Sutton Veny has been jailed after subjecting a woman to a prolonged and violent 10-hour ordeal in which she was falsely imprisoned, assaulted, strangled, and sexually attacked.
Tommy Hitt, 46, of Springhead, was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on 13 June after pleading guilty to a string of serious domestic abuse offences, including:
- Intentional strangulation
- False imprisonment
- Grievous bodily harm with intent
- Two counts of assault by penetration
- Two counts of actual bodily harm
- Threats to kill
- Criminal damage
- Possession of a Class B drug (cannabis)
He was also handed a restraining order and ordered to pay a £228 victim surcharge.
The court heard how, on 21 February, Hitt held his victim against her will at his home in Sutton Veny. Over the course of 10 harrowing hours, he physically and sexually assaulted her, strangled her, shaved her head, and repeatedly threatened to kill her.
In a powerful impact statement, the victim described the trauma she continues to live with: “I can't get the words he said to me out of my head, about killing me... I was dying that night. He told me to call my mum and say goodbye because he was going to kill me.”
She added: “Everything has changed. I can't walk down the road without looking over my shoulder. He beat me up for about nine and a half hours. If I hadn’t managed to get away, he would have killed me.”
Despite extensive injuries—including permanent damage to her eyes, face, teeth, and arm —the victim managed to escape after Hitt drove her to another location. She was able to raise the alarm and alert police.
Detective Constable James Gatherum, of Wiltshire Police’s Central CID, said: “This was the beginning of the end of a 10-hour ordeal at the hands of Tommy Hitt. The victim was held captive, violently assaulted, strangled, and degraded in multiple ways—including being forcibly shaved. Her courage and resilience have been extraordinary throughout this case.
“I would like to thank her for her incredible bravery in reporting these horrific crimes, and I urge anyone suffering from abuse to come forward. You will be listened to. You will be supported.”
Wiltshire Police continues to encourage victims of domestic abuse to seek help and report abuse by calling 999 in an emergency or 101 for non-emergencies.
Support is also available through national and local domestic abuse charities.