Portsmouth woman's 'life ruined' after 'scumbag' boyfriend attacks and spits in face
A woman who was repeatedly attacked, humiliated and spat at in the face by her “scumbag” ex-boyfriend says she has been “let down” after he walked away from court with his liberty.
The Portsmouth female, who does not want to be named, said her “life was ruined” by Ashley Emmerson during the horror 10-month relationship that quickly descended into coercive control between September 2023 and June 2024.
Prolific domestic abuser Emmerson, 34, of Madeira Road, Hilsea, admitted a charge of coercive control over his former girlfriend before being sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court. He was handed a 16-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months for his routine abuse that included physical and mental abuse that left the woman, aged in her 20s, on the verge of collapse.
The result has left the complainant “very frustrated”, with her telling The News: “I feel very disappointed, frustrated and let down by the sentence.
“I’ve had to go through therapy, it’s affected my mental health and I’ve almost lost my job because of him. He ruined my life during our 10-month relationship.”
The complainant said things were “amazing” at the start of their relationship before “red flags” started to appear. “He would question where I was at work and would check my Snap Chat location when I was out for work. He would constantly phone and harass me and bombard me with messages. It took a big toll on my job,” she said.
Speaking of the abuse she was subjected to, the woman said: “He spat in my face, strangled me, publicly tried to embarrass me when shouting at me to get people to stare at me. The abuse was daily. It was horrible. He’s a scumbag.
“He once attacked me at the train station after we had a row on a train when I told him, ‘I’m not putting up with this anymore.’ He didn’t like it. He ran after me and tackled me to the ground and kicked me in the legs. My mum had to call the police.”
The victim said she would have to do 12-hour shifts as a carer having only had one or two hours sleep because he would “constantly wake me up”.
The woman also said she was left out of pocket and suffered emotional blackmail at Emmerson’s hands. “He would hit himself in the head and punch walls and broke his hand on one occasion. He was trying to frighten me to get me to stay with him. He said he had mental health issues,” she said.
“I lived with him but didn’t want to. My mum and dad hate him.”
The woman added: “I don’t think the sentence was a fair result for what he did to me. He gave a lot of excuses and got away with a suspended sentence.”
Emmerson was also handed a five-year restraining order, told to complete 26 rehabilitation days and 120 hours of unpaid work.