A woman was tormented by this volatile, violent man throughout their relationship

A traumatised woman described the horror she went through at the hands of a man who made her life hell. Stephen Ring told his now ex girlfriend he would slice her from ear to ear so that she would remember him.

The "violent and unpredictable" abuser threatened her with a machete, put a hosepipe through her letterbox to flood her house, set her carpet on fire twice and shoved her in front of her children while on holiday. His victim said sounds like the ping of a new email or a car arriving brought back the dread she had when she was with him.

After pleading guilty for his horrific actions towards her during the years of torment he subjected her to, Ring moved on and assaulted a new partner.

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A sentencing at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday heard how 37-year-old Ring's offending included assault, controlling behaviour and threats. The court heard how the offending took place during a three year period between summer 2020 and autumn 2023, in which Ring’s behaviour was “volatile and unpredictable”.

Detailing the incidents, prosecutor Niklas Strobl said: “On one occasion he put his hosepipe through her letterbox, flooding her house. He set her carpet on fire saying he would burn the place down. There were incidents of violence on a holiday in July 2023 where he pushed her twice in front of her children.”

Mr Strobl continued to describe a number of incidents which involved Ring making attempts to isolate the victim from her friends. He also went out of his way to prevent her from leaving the house, and “screamed” at her if she left for too long.

He said: “The defendant would not let her see her friends and would accuse them of things to stop her from wanting to see them. such as saying a friend had tried it on with him.

“On another occasion he ripped clothes off her to stop her from leaving the house. When she ran in and changed he followed her and took her back into the house.

“He would often take her keys as a means of preventing her from leaving the house by herself.” He described a further incident where the victim had been looking forward to a trip to the Royal Ascot races: “In preparation her mother had bought her a new dress to wear. In response to that he smashed the house up and cut the dress into pieces. It took place when she was not there. It made her feel controlled and scared.”

How to access free domestic abuse helplines in Wales

If you, a family member, or a friend have experienced domestic abuse or sexual violence, you can contact the Live Fear Free helpline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for free advice and support, or to talk through your options. Call 0808 80 10 800, text 0786 007 7333, email info@livefearfreehelpline.wales or go to gov.wales/live-fear-free

Live Fear Free (funded by Welsh Government and run by Welsh Women’s Aid) is a confidential service. Calls to 0808 80 numbers are free to call from landlines and mobile phones in the UK. They do not appear on itemised bills. The helpline provides support in English and Welsh, and access to an interpreter for callers with language support needs.

The Refuge charity also provides information, support and practical help 24 hours a day to women experiencing domestic violence. The service can refer women and children to refuges throughout the UK to help them escape domestic abuse. Refuge can be called on 0808 808 9999.

Mr Strobl told the court how insecure Ring would give the victim tasks to do around the house so she was too busy to socialise with her friends.

He said: “If she did not get all of them (tasks) done by the time he got home sometimes he was fine but on other occasions he would scream and shout at her. On other occasions he would spit in her face.

“If running errands - or if she was out too long - he would be very aggressive towards her. He would question where she had been or who she had been with.”

Mr Strobl said Ring even went so far as to check shopping receipts to work out how long she had been out for. “He would make up stories about her being up to no good, which resulted in him shouting at her, name calling and spitting,” Mr Strobl said. “This would also happen if she missed one of his phone calls.”

Giving more examples of inhumane treatment, Mr Strobl said Ring made comments towards his victim about posting on social media, which she no longer feels comfortable doing. He also discouraged her from pursuing her dream to be a hairdresser and made nasty comments about her appearance.

“He would belittle her, making her feel worthless,” Mr Strobl said. “He often told her she had no friends and that nobody loved her.”

Next Strobl read out a number of extracts from threatening emails that Ring had sent the victim. This included Ring telling her he would “slice her throat”, that he would “do sh*t with a knife”, and that he would “slit” her body and that she had “better believe” him.

Mr Strobl described that during a violent outburst one morning Ring smashed the victim’s phone, which started an argument and resulted in her asking him to leave.

In response Ring picked up his belt and shouted: “Don’t f*ck with me,” before he hit her right arm with it. Mr Strobl said the impact resulted in a visible wound and immediate swelling.

Later that day the court heard how Ring returned to the property and asked the victim if they were still going away as they had planned. When she said no Ring spat at her, walked away and later returned with a wooden mallet, Mr Strobl said.

It was heard how Ring held the mallet and told the victim “you’ve got one more chance”. When she said “no” he hit the TV with the mallet which broke the screen. When the defendant told him she would call the police, Ring left the property.

However in an even more terrifying turn, Mr Strobl said: “Later that day she found the defendant in her back garden holding a large machete while drinking.

“[When she asked him about it] he said: Fuck off what are you going to do about it?’ He then asked her for a chat but she did not feel comfortable. She saw him swinging the machete into the fence.”

Mr Strobl said the defendant could be heard saying: “If it does this to a fence, imagine what it would do to someone’s skull.” He continued to threaten the victim, saying: “I will slice you from ear to ear so that when you look in the mirror you will remember me.”

The victim bravely read a powerful victim impact statement to the court, in which she detailed the profound impact Ring’s actions had on her.

She said: “I have been suffering with my mental health and struggling to keep up my commitment to work and university. Due to things he has done to me I constantly feel on edge and my anxiety is through the roof. He has, with his previous actions, made me paranoid. [When] I now hear cars or noises like my emails - it brings back the dread and emotions of when I was with him. I struggle to go out on my own which has impacted my social life.”

What is Clare’s Law?

It is the name for the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme. This gives anyone the right to ask police if they believe they or someone they know is in a relationship with an individual that could be abusive towards them.

The initiative is named after 36-year-old Clare Wood who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2009. Ms Wood was strangled and set on fire at her home in Salford, Greater Manchester, by George Appleton, who had a record of violence against women.

Her father Michael Brown, who campaigned for the introduction of Clare’s Law, is convinced she would still be alive had she known the full extent of Appleton’s previous behaviour. Clare’s Law was introduced in four pilot areas in 2012 and has since been rolled out across England and Wales.

How do I make a Clare’s Law request?

You can make a Clare’s Law request to your local police force. You fill out an online form or visit your local station. After the form has been received and initial inquiries have been completed you may be asked to attend a face-to-face meeting with a police officer to discuss it further.

Mr Strobl said Ring, of Risca Close, St Mellons, Cardiff, was charged on March 27 2024 before he pleaded guilty on May 29 to coercive control, actual bodily harm and criminal damage. He added that Ring has five previous convictions for five offences, a number of which related to this victim.

It included battery in 2019, inflicted on a friend of the victim. It also included harassment and battery towards the victim. Some of the offending divulged during the sentencing took place while Ring was subject to a community order, while the majority of offending happened while he was subject to a restraining order.

Although Ring was placed under crown court bail for his actions against victim one, it did not prevent him from assaulting a new partner, who he had met in January.

Mr Strobl said the offending relating to victim two happened in summer 2024 when she attended her brother’s wedding. He continued: “The defendant had not been invited. During the evening he was constantly messaging her saying he wished to be there with her, and blaming her for the fact he had not been invited. [Next he] started messaging her family. This led to arguments and the victim and her son leaving the wedding.”

When the victim got home with her son, they found Ring at the property. Mr Strobl said: “Once inside the property she noticed damage had been caused by the defendant, first of all to the wall in the lounge.

“She went into the kitchen where she noticed further damage…the washing machine door had been ripped off its hinges and some knobs had been removed from the oven. The defendant blamed her for the damage, which led to an argument.”

Mr Strobl said the argument lasted for about 20 minutes before Ring “forcibly” hit the left side of her face with a flat hand. This happened on three occasions in total.

At one point during the incident Mr Strobl said the victim tried to reach for her phone, before Ring pushed her away and held her phone in the air. He said the victim ended up on the floor with the defendant pinning her down with his knee, still holding her phone.

In order to get the weight of Ring off her, Mr Strobl said the victim resorted to biting him, which resulted in him letting her go and giving her phone back. Mr Strobl said the incident left the victim feeling “scared and shaken up”.

On June 11 2024 Ring handed himself into the police, it was heard. Regarding this victim Ring later pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm and criminal damage.

Defending Ring, Derrick Gooden told the court how Ring has had an “opportunity to reflect” on his behaviour while he has been remanded in custody. He said he has “managed for the first time” to confront the difficulties he has when drinking, and the impact that has on his relationships.

He said while in custody Ring has secured a job as a kitchen server, which is a “trusted position”. He has also completed a number of courses such as on alcohol misuse and anger management.

Where to get help if you are affected by abuse

There is help and support for victims of abuse.

Support is available in Welsh and English and a lot of the time is there 24 hours a day.

In an emergency, call 999 but there are a number of support agencies there to help:

Live Fear Free helpline - 24 hour support

Confidential support and information for anyone experiencing sexual violence, domestic abuse or violence against women in Wales, and for family, friends, colleagues and others calling on their behalf. Phone support available in Welsh, English and any other languages.

Freephone T: 0808 8010800

Type Talk: 1800108088010800

E: info@livefearfreehelpline.wales

Text support 24/7: 078600 77 333

Live chat 24hrs: www.livefearfree.gov.wales

Bawso 24hr helpline

Providing specialist services for BME communities.

T: 0800 731 8147 W: bawso.org.uk

Suzy Lamplugh Trust National Stalking Helpline

Advice and help if you are a victim of stalking.

Freephone T: 0808 802 0300

Refuge

The charity runs a 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline

Freephone T: 0808 2000 247

NSPCC FGM helpline

Call the FGM helpline if you're worried a child is at risk of, or has had, FGM.

T: 0800 028 3550 E: fgmhelp@nspcc.org.uk

Forced Marriage Unit helpline

Advice and support to victims of forced marriage.

T: 020 7008 0151

Modern slavery helpline

To report a suspicion, get help or seek advice or information.

T: 0800 0121 700 W: modernslaveryhelpline.org

Respect phoneline

For anyone concerned about their violence and/or abuse towards a partner or ex-partner

T: 0808 802 4040 E: info@respectphoneline.org.uk W: respectphoneline.org.uk

The Men's Advice Line

For male domestic abuse survivors, run by Respect.

0808 801 0327

The National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline

Run by Galop.

0800 999 5428

NSPCC helpline

The NSPCC helpline is staffed by trained professionals who can provide expert advice and support to adults with a child welfare concern. Adult victims of non-recent abuse can also get in touch for support.

T: 0800 800 5000 E: help@nspcc.org.uk W: nspcc.org.uk

NSPCC’s Childline service

Children and young people can contact Childline 365 days a year about anything that may be worrying them no matter how big or small it may seem.

T: 0800 1111 W: childline.org.uk

Sentencing Ring, Recorder David Warner said he listened in “dismay and horror” at the facts of the case, as well as to the victim impact statement.

To reflect the repeated nature of Ring’s offending and - to bring each victim justice - Recorder Warner dealt with each victim’s case separately.

In victim one’s case he sentenced Ring for 27 months for the lead offence of coercive control. This will run consecutively to 36 weeks in prison for the lead offence in victim two’s case of actual bodily harm.

In addition Ring was sentenced to 27 weeks imprisonment for actual bodily harm against victim one, which will run concurrently. He was also made subject to two restraining orders, which will prevent him from making contact with either victim.

If you, a family member, a friend, or someone you are concerned about has experienced domestic abuse or sexual violence you can contact the Live Fear Free Helpline 24 hours a day seven days a week for free advice and support or to talk through your options: 0808 801 08 00.