A serial abuser has been jailed for coercive and controlling behaviour including choking and battering his former partner.
Jamie Hall, 42, physically attacked and verbally abused Paige Chalmers during a 10-month relationship, a court was told, even pressing her to take drugs against her will.
Hall attacked her after coming home from a course aimed to help him to “build better relationships” which he was required to attend after he was convicted of attacking a previous partner.
He was “a fundamental danger to women”, according to Judge Stephen Mooney, as he jailed him for more than three years.
Jeffrey Lamb, prosecuting, told Lewes Crown Court that on one occasion Hall grabbed Ms Chalmers by her pony tail and choked her with his hand over her mouth.
Mr Lamb quoted Ms Chalmers as saying: “I came to and my top had blood all down it. My rib was really hurting. All my mouth was cut. There was glass everywhere. I had quite severe black eyes.”
Hall admitted engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour, assault by beating and causing actual bodily harm (ABH). The offences were alleged to have taken place in Peacehaven last year.
Mr Lamb told the court that Hall, of Pasture Place, Ridgewood, Uckfield, had been before the court dozens of times for 41 offences including other examples of violence towards women.
In 2019, he was made the subject of a domestic violence prevention order and, in 2023, he was jailed for 18 months after he breached a non-molestation order.
Mr Lamb said that Hall was still on licence after his release from prison when he committed the latest offences with his most recent partner.
He read a “victim impact statement” prepared by Ms Chalmers in which she said that the pair met in 2024 and broke up last September.
She said that he slapped her many times and that she suffered a broken finger and, when she ended the relationship, she said: “I was really scared.”
He bombarded her with messages and emails and broke into her flat and, she said, “he caused damage (and) he was threatening to kill himself … I was forced to change my phone number.”
She gave up her flat and fled to Spain to escape him but the abusive messages continued – “usually after he’d taken drugs or been drinking” – and she left her job and sold her car as her finances worsened.
He damaged her flat, she said, leaving holes in the wall, broken glass everywhere and a fitted wardrobe ripped from the wall.
She added: “I only got half my deposit back from my landlord because of the damage. This caused me considerable financial difficulty.
“I’ve been attending therapy … I don’t want what happened to me to happen to any other women.”
When he was drinking or taking drugs, she said that she was scared that he could kill her.
Judge Mooney imposed a 10-year restraining order, telling Hall not to contact Ms Chalmers directly or indirectly.
Ed Carey defending said that Hall’s behaviour was repeated but not persistent, saying: “This was a relationship with bad episodes.”
He had a number of mental health conditions but had not always taken his medication – “but he was taking cocaine”.
Hall had been in prison for some months and had a commendable record there, Mr Carey, as he asked the court to consider a suspended sentence and community order including unpaid work.
If jailed again, Mr Carey said: “He will not be in prison forever. This is about seizing an opportunity (to rehabilitate him). There may not be a better time for him to be released.
“This would not be letting him off lightly or taking a gamble because this is someone who is perfectly ready and free from drink and drugs.
“He has never been in a better position to be released, behave better and tackle the underlying issues.”
Judge Mooney said: “He behaves well in prison but he’s assaulted three different women. When he’s at liberty, he’s a fundamental danger to women.”
He said that he had to weigh up his duty when sentencing Hall to rehabilitate him, punish him and protect the public.
The judge said: “This is the third victim … In 2019, you behaved in such a way that led to a domestic violence protection order being imposed on you because you posed such a danger to a female that she had to be protected.
“In 2023, you were involved in a relationship that required the courts to impose a non-molestation order to protect another woman.
“The fear that you caused and the threat that you presented was sufficient for the court to impose that order.
“Your behaviour towards Miss Chalmers over the course of about a year was horrible.”
It included, the judge said, violence, threats and controlling behaviour, adding: “It can be described as persistent.
“During the course of that time, you committed two offences that were charged separately – assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault.”
Judge Mooney said that the sentence had to reflect “the risk that you present to women and your contempt towards those who try to help you”.
He said: “You struck her because she wouldn’t speak to you about what happened at a ‘building better relationships’ course.
“You chose not to take your medication yet you chose to take recreational drugs. You directly created the circumstances in which you caused fear.
“You have previous convictions for domestic violence (and) you committed these offences while on licence.”
Violence, fear and degradation
Judge Mooney said that there wasn’t currently “a realistic prospect of rehabilitation” as Hall turned too easily to violence, fear and degradation.
The judge added: “You are a genuine and real danger to women. The seriousness of these offences cannot be understated. You represent a continuing danger to women.
“My obligation is to protect women from you for as long as I can. You really do need to change.”
Working within the sentencing guidelines, he imposed a prison term of three years and two months for controlling and coercive behaviour.
Hall was also jailed for nine months for one assault and three months for the other, both terms to run concurrently with the sentence for the lead offence.
Other counts were ordered to lie on the file.
After Hall was jailed, on Thursday 13 August, Detective Constable Beth Charles said: “Hall’s manipulative, threatening and violent behaviour continues to have a lasting impact on the victim.
“We take reports of domestic abuse and violence extremely seriously – and tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for Sussex Police.
“After the victim came forward to report her experience, we were determined to get justice and Hall is now serving a custodial sentence.
“We continue to encourage victims to come forward and report their experiences to Sussex Police.”
