Sadistic thug who kidnapped, beat, and threatened to kill his partner and bury her in a hole jailed in 'one of the worst' cases judge had seen

Benjamin Dobson, 29, of Selby, threatened to kill the unnamed woman and her family in a series of sickening incidents a judge described as "one of the worst" he had ever seen.

Dobson subjected his victim to nearly two years of torment which left her suffering night terrors after being "haunted by the torture her put me through".

He was paranoid about his partner having affairs and subjected her to numerous assaults and controlled her friendships and finances, prosecutor Michael Cahill said.

Dobson even told her what she could and could not wear, the court heard.

In August 2018, Dobson turned up at her workplace and was so enraged as he drove her home that she asked to be let out of the car, but he wouldn’t let her.

He then smashed her face into the corner of their car door and left her with facial injuries and bruising.

She was forced to leave her job because of the injuries, which "pleased" Dobson.

The court heard how he vetted her friends and even made a list of her male friends on Facebook, telling her he wanted to "go on a rampage and kill them".

In another instance of abuse, Dobson grabbed his victim by the neck and pinned her against a wall "with her feet dangling underneath her" while at a friend’s party.

York Crown Court heard how jealous Dobson questioned where she had been one day after work in October that year and told her: “You thought your ex was bad: I’m going to kill you.”

He drove her down a quiet lane in Haxby before stopping in a field and told her it was the last time she would see her family.

Prosecutor Michael Cahill told the court how he then grabbed her, banged her against the van and allegedly hit her just above the eye with a knuckle duster.

Mr Cahill added: “He said he had dug a hole for her and said it would be her last night. There was blood everywhere.”

She tried to get out of the van, but he pulled her back and repeatedly struck her with an object.

He then sat on top of her and strangled her, before contacting his ex-partner on Facetime, saying: “There’s blood everywhere. Are you coming to finish her off or shall I do it?”

Dobson made the victim stay with him overnight in the van and then drove her back to his flat in York.

He kept her holed up with him for about two days while she was in "constant pain" with her injuries, the court heard.

After a few days she sneaked out and went to a Costa Coffee, asking staff members to call police.

Police had issued Dobson with a Domestic Violence Protection Order, only for him to breach the order three weeks later by turning up at her home.

He received a four-week prison sentence for that offence but following another incident she had to flee his flat once again and seek refuge at her father’s house.

Dobson told her she had "10 minutes (to return to his flat) or he would go on a rampage and kill her father".

Dobson also told her: “I should have killed you when I had the chance.”

He was arrested in March last year but denied all allegations.

During the trial, he admitted one count of engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour.

He denied two further allegations of false imprisonment and assault occasioning actual bodily harm against the victim. The Crown ultimately accepted these pleas.

Dobson was jailed for two years and 10 months and slapped with a lifetime restraining order banning him from contacting or approaching the victim.

Judge Sean Morris said Dobson had waged a ‘terror’ campaign against the woman, adding: “This is one of the worst of these (types of) offences that I have come across.”

He told Dobson: “You are huge, powerfully built man. You bullied, abused, coerced, humiliated, degraded, your partner. She was not your slave.”