Merseyside man who subjected his partner to seven months of abuse jailed

John McCabe, 36, of Clock Face, Merseyside, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday 16 January where he was sentenced to two years and three months behind bars after pleading guilty to one count of engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour, two counts of assault and one count of criminal damage on the day he was due to go to trial.

During his hearing, the court heard that McCabe had entered into a relationship with the victim, who was 17 at the time, in November 2023, before it concluded in the following July, some seven months later.

The court heard that during this short period, his victim had been subjected to a torrent of abuse, including violence resulting in varying levels of injury, threats, controlling behaviour and verbal abuse.

During one instance, McCabe had threatened suicide if the victim left him, going so far as to choke himself with a phone charger, before climbed on top of her and putting his hand over her face. He had a lit cigarette in his hand at the time, resulting in her receiving a burn.

Another violent attack involved the victim sustaining a black eye after McCabe had seen a text message from an ex-partner's family member on her phone and he violently lashed out. For weeks following the assault, the victim had to try and cover up the injury with make-up every time she left the house, with McCabe frequently pressuring her to make sure enough was applied to cover the injury, fearing questions would be asked regarding how she sustained it.

Incidents of coercive and controlling behaviour also occurred during their relationship, with McCabe making derogatory comments about her weight and appearance, despite the 36-year-old being well aware she struggled with these issues. Even after their relationship concluded, McCabe bombarded her with text and video messages, begging to take her back and claiming she was causing him mental anguish by not answering his calls.

It was then heard that on Friday 21 June, the couple had been involved in a heated argument at home, which resulted in McCabe throwing a lighter at the victim, which struck her in the chest causing bruising. Fearing more violence, the victim then left the address with her dog, whom McCabe had already threatened to "boot" earlier that morning.

Whilst out on the dog walk, the victim received a call from her neighbour, informing her that McCabe had begun destroying a number of items in her flat, including her television and a mirror in a violent rage.

Everything came to a head in July 2024 when, after a short break in their relationship, the pair were in bed following an argument, when McCabe climbed on top of her and put both hands around her neck, began to strangle her - shouting "I am going to kill you".

The attack lasted around 20 seconds, with the victim saying she remembered thinking she was "going to die" and being unable to call for help due to the pressure on her neck. This attack left the victim with swollen glands, with her still feeling pain days after the assault. It was at this point the victim had had enough, telling McCabe she wanted a further breaking in their relationship, with him leaving the house.

On 18 July 2024, the victim found the courage to call Cheshire Police officers after McCabe had repeatedly tried to contact her over the phone to no avail and then turned up outside her home. Over the course of a night, he repeatedly banged on her windows and calling her derogatory names such as a "rat" and a "keyboard warrior", in relation to her going to the police in relation to previous cocaine usage.

Whilst officers were in attendance, the victim felt brave enough to disclose the extent of the horrendous abuse she had suffered at the hands of John McCabe over the course of their seven-month relationship. It was thanks to her bravery that led to McCabe’s eventual arrest and subsequent charge, which in turn led to him pleading guilty at the last moment.

John McCabe was jailed for two years and three months (27 months) at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday 16 January 2025 after he plead guilty on the day he was to go to trial, due to the overwhelming amount of evidence against him.

Following sentencing Police Constable Leanne Rigby said:

"No one should be living in fear when going about their day-to-day lives, especially when that someone who is causing that fear is someone who is meant to be someone you trust to care for you - I can only imagine the torment she faced at the cruel hands of John McCabe.

"McCabe is a violent perpetrator, whose manipulative behaviour left his victim feeling worthless and that there was no way out. Whilst no sentence will ever be able to make the victim forget what happened to her, hopefully with McCabe serving in excess of two years behind bars and with ongoing management upon his release, she can begin to move on with her life.

"I would like to commend her bravery throughout this entire investigation, without her courage we would have not been able to secure this conviction. Let today's sentencing be a reminder that Cheshire Constabulary takes all offences of this nature and domestic abuse extremely seriously. Any allegation will be thoroughly investigated, with the needs of the victim always being our main priority.”

If you, or someone you know, are a victim of domestic abuse please report it by calling 101 or visiting www.cheshire.police.uk/tell-us. In an emergency always call 999.