Newcastle stalker jailed after assaulting woman in her home
A convicted stalker who abused a woman after turning up at her Newcastle home with a meat cleaver has been jailed.
A convicted stalker who abused a woman after turning up at her Newcastle home with a meat cleaver has been jailed.
Shortly after midnight on November 1 last year, police received a string of calls reporting a disturbance could be heard at an address in Newburn.
It was understood a woman was shouting for help after a man had entered the property carrying a weapon.
She then bravely dialled 999 from inside, confirming to police that she was being attacked and threatened at the hands of her ex-partner.
Emergency services were swiftly deployed, while the woman stayed on the line with specially trained contact handlers until response officers arrived minutes later.
Dale Gordon was arrested at the scene, with a large meat cleaver used in the incident seized from the house.
The woman, aged in her 30s, was taken to hospital with serious injuries having been strangled by Gordon, as well as dragged by her hair.
An investigation by the Force’s Criminal Investigation Department soon revealed that Gordon had been handed a suspended prison sentence days earlier on October 30 for stalking the woman.
Following this, she told detectives that Gordon had sent her unwanted contact via email – despite a restraining order being in place – before turning up unannounced that night.
Audio from the calls to police captured the moments Gordon threatened to “chop off” the woman’s arm, saying he would harm them both if police turned up.
The now 33-year-old was later charged with aggravated burglary, two counts of breaching a restraining order, coercive control, false imprisonment, and threats to kill. He was found not guilty of aggravated burglary but admitted the other offences at Newcastle Crown Court on December 15, 2025.
Gordon, of Red Barns in Newcastle, was remanded into custody and yesterday (Monday) appeared before the same court where a judge jailed him for four years and 10 months. Gordon was also handed a lifetime restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim indefinitely.
In a victim impact statement read at court, the survivor shared she struggles “to sleep, to eat and function” and how the ordeal will stay with her “for a very long time”.
She said: “I constantly worry that he is around every corner and I have nightmares about this. I am afraid in my own home because of him, even when I know he is locked away.”
She added: “Towards the end of the relationship, I felt like I was looking for the man that he was in the beginning. I don’t think he ever existed looking back on it now.
“I don’t think any amount of sentence will be long enough because I will have to live with what he has done for the rest of my life.
“There will be a day when I don’t have to cry anymore and there will be a day when I can move on with my children and live in peace.
“I had doubts in my head for a while that I should leave Dale, but I ignored them.
“If I could pass on any advice to people in these situations it would be to get out when you can, trust your gut and listen to what your heart is telling you to do.”
Detective Constable Wilkinson, of Northumbria Police, said: “This was a shocking ordeal where the survivor was subjected to a tirade of threats and abuse from Gordon – at a time when he should have been nowhere near her.
“He left the woman absolutely terrified after turning up at her home that night, armed with a meat cleaver and refusing to let her leave, before he violently assaulted her.
“Thankfully, we were quickly alerted to the situation by nearby residents, and the woman bravely called our police control room while the attack was ongoing.”
Det Con Wilkinson added: “I have no doubt that the fast actions of our contact handlers and response teams saved the woman’s life that night – and I’d like to thank them for their vital support.
“While no result will ever take away the survivor’s trauma, I am pleased to see that Gordon will spend a lengthy time behind bars and is banned from speaking with her indefinitely.
“Nobody should ever have to put up with any abuse in their relationship, whether that is emotional or physical, and we are dedicated to investigating this type of crime.
“Please know that if you relate to this case in any way, there is support available and we will do everything in our power to secure justice for you.”