A DEESIDE man who embarked on a 'deeply upsetting' campaign of controlling behaviour against an ex-partner has been jailed.

Dylan Hopkins, of no fixed abode, appeared before Mold Crown Court for sentence on Tuesday, February 27.

The 22-year-old previously pleaded guilty to controlling behaviour during a Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing (PTPH) on January 15 of this year.

James Coutts, prosecuting, told the court that the defendant had been in a relationship with Chloe Jones and that there had been 'cases of violence'.

Mr Coutts added that Hopkins was convicted in January of this year for a separate matter against the complainant, which resulted in a two-week spell in prison.

In this case, the offending began in the summer of last year, the court heard.

During that particular incident, Hopkins forced his former partner into a garden shed and locked them both in it.

Ms Jones was said to be crying as he made threats to kill her and told her that he would 'chop her up like Jack the Ripper'.

The controlling behaviour 'escalated' and continued on into December 2023, Mr Coutts said.

He told the court that, on December 1, Ms Jones had said that Hopkins had become 'incredibly erratic'.

She added that, on that day, he 'slapped' her thigh so hard that it gave her a dead leg, made her fall over and caused bruising.

The next day (December 2), Ms Jones went to her mother's house. Hopkins screamed down the phone at her and told her he would 'burn her house down'.

On December 3, she returned home and the defendant 'interrogated' her and went through her phone.

Ms Jones admitted to having texted one of her ex-partners and she then left to go and stay with a friend.

On December 4, she again returned to her home and when Hopkins came back to the house from a night shift at work he asked what she was doing there - despite it being her home not his.

The Leader: Evans appeared before Mold Crown Court on Thursday, October 12.PIC: Hopkins was sentenced at Mold Crown Court.

He took her phone and her keys off her and, after finding a message on the phone, repeatedly hit her to the head until she was 'dizzy', the court was told.

That same night, the defendant was said to have 'gone ballistic' and dragged his then-partner upstairs by her hair and 'threatened to inject her with heroin'.

He then hit her 'all over her body' while she was on the floor, Mr Coutts said, again causing bruising.

On December 6, the day Hopkins had lost his job, he sought comfort from Ms Jones but she did not want to give him any given what had happen days before.

He forced her onto the sofa and, on two occasions, strangled her with both hands.

He again took her phone off her as she went to ring the police and smashed it.

Hopkins then punched a hole in the living room door before Ms Jones managed to escape to a neighbour's house where the police were called.

Hopkins was arrested shortly after and denied all allegations against him at interview.

Mr Coutts added that Ms Jones retracted her statement made against Hopkins prior to the PTPH, but the case was pursued nonetheless.

It was later said that the two of them were still 'in touch'.

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Oliver King, defending Hopkins, said that the defendant was someone who had 'complex mental health issues'.

Mr King added that there was a 'degree of victim blaming' in the case, but that Hopkins 'acknowledged' that he had acted in a 'jealous' and 'controlling' way.

A letter provided to the court by the defendant's mother described him as 'emotionally unstable', adding that he was someone who had a 'severe fear of abandonment'.

Judge Rhys Rowlands described the case as 'so depressing'.

He added that it was a 'very serious' and 'deeply upsetting' case of controlling behaviour. 

The judge added that it was 'hard to discern any meaningful remorse at all' from Hopkins.

The defendant was sentenced to a term of 27 months in prison.