A man “terrorised” his partner in a series of incidents during their relationship, a court has heard. Cardiff Crown Court was told how Andrew Caswell, described as a “large powerfully built bodybuilder in training for a competition” who had been taking steroids at the time, had met his partner in Plymouth in 2023 whilst they were both on a night out, whilst he was working on the railways in the area.
The court heard they “hit it off” and became a couple, later getting engaged. She moved to Cardiff to live with Caswell. It was heard that Caswell “became paranoid” she was socialising with other men in her workplace, and began examining her phone, which led to a series of incidents during their relationship over a number of years.
In one incident, he had caused hot coffee to go over her, causing her to “welp”. Another incident saw him push her in the back down eight steps at the exit of a flat following an argument surrounding her ex-partner. She had tumbled down the staircase and later received hospital treatment for bruising, swelling and broken bones in her left hand and wrist.
Another incident during their relationship saw him slap her to the nose, resulting in her sustaining an injury and her glasses being damaged. He had later sent a voice note apologising where he described himself as a “stick of dynamite”.
A further incident saw him throw a vape, hitting her in the eye, which resulted in her needing surgery under general anaesthetic to repair the damage caused.
The court was told his campaign of abuse towards her “went on and on and on” based on his paranoia that she was seeing other men, which had been unsubstantiated.
Other incidents saw him cause damage to her phone, slapping her to the jaw and throwing a vape at her, causing a “nasty cut” to her left temple.
There was another incident where he had punched her to the face, causing her to suffer a split lip, after believing she had been flirting with men during a work night out, the court heard.
It caused her to fall to the floor, and he had squished her face to the ground, applying pressure, before “unceremoniously throwing her out” in a “callous disregard for her welfare”.
The court heard it led to her sleeping rough in a children’s playground in Rumney, sheltering under a metal sheet. She later contacted a women’s refuge, leading to the police becoming involved.
A victim personal statement detailed how the woman “suffered flashbacks” of what she had endured over four years, adding that she had “trusted” Caswell. She said her “outlook on life had shifted”.
Caswell, 44, of Caer Castell Place, Rumney, Cardiff, appeared at Cardiff Crown Court having pleaded guilty to controlling or coercive behaviour and causing criminal damage. He was found guilty of a count of causing grievous bodily harm without intent and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Judge Eugene Egan, who asked Caswell to “stop shaking his head” as he listened to his closing remarks, told him he had “bullied” the victim, “terrorised her” and “treated her as a punchbag” with “verbal and physical abuse on a significant scale”.
He added: “By October 2025, you had literally battered her into submission and she had had enough. You were a menace to her, you proved that time and time again.”
Caswell has been sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment, to run consecutively with a further term of four years imprisonment, with an extended license of another year. A restraining order has been made preventing him from contacting his victim directly or indirectly for 15 years.
