A bullying man who carried out a campaign of harassment and stalking on his partner over a seven-year period has been jailed.

Michael Rochford threatened to drown his former partner and dragged her around a room by her hair during their relationship before continuing his reign of terror after the relationship broke down.

The 30-year-old belittled and abused his victim throughout their relationship and even threatened to assault her when she was pregnant with their child, Teesside Crown Court heard.

James Yearsley, prosecuting, said the defendant’s abuse took place from January 1, 2012, and April 30, 2019, while the pair were in a relationship but continued even after they had split up.

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Outlining some of the incidents, he said: “In 2016, when she was pregnant with their child, she was on the sofa when a verbal argument ensued, he said - ‘shut up or I’m going to take your face off you’ and she said - ‘no you’re not, I’m pregnant’ and he replied - ‘who won’t’.”

Mr Yearsley said the victim’s half-sister saw Rochford grab hold of her hair and drag her from one side of a room to another when the woman was screaming at him to stop.

Dealing with the stalking incidents, the court heard how between January 2019 and November 2020 the defendant repeatedly turned up at her home and her place of work and on one occasion threw a fence post through a window of her home.

The court heard how Rochford had previous convictions for assaulting an emergency worker and attacking another former partner.

The Northern Echo: Michael RochfordMichael Rochford (Image: Cleveland Police)

Rochford, of Topcliffe Street, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to putting person in fear of violence through harassment and stalking, involving the fear of violence, alarm, or serious stress.

Michael Cahill, in mitigation, said his client had suffered from mental health for some time but accepted that it was ‘no excuse’ for his offending.

Judge Chris Smith jailed Rochford for three years and nine months for his bullying behaviour and stalking.

He said: “She describes, over a number of years, a pattern of bullying behaviour by you which included threats of serious violence, that you would drown her in the bath, you threatened her when she was pregnant with your child and you were witnessed dragging your partner by the hair.

“This was a pattern of behaviour over a seven-year period and it has had a significant effect on her.

“She very clearly described how your behaviour has slowly and inextricably taken her to a place where she has some significant psychological harm caused to her.

“That’s the thing with this sort of behaviour, small pieces of crushing behaviour, eventually crush a victim.”

Rochford was also issued with an indefinite restraining order to protect the victim.

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