Littlehampton man jailed for controlling and coercive behaviour

A man who dictated what his former partner could wear, eat and drink and where she could go has been jailed for engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour.

Between October 2020 and May 2023, Peter Chapman, 42, of Derwent Close, Littlehampton, controlled his victim’s life which caused her extreme psychological harm.

Chapman was sentenced to three years in jail and was given a five-year restraining order when he appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on 6 June after he was found guilty of engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour following a trial on 11 April.

The court heard that Chapman first met his victim on an online gaming platform in 2019 and lured her to move in with him almost 200 miles away. They had only met once prior to this.

After a while, Chapman’s behaviour changed towards the victim. When she became pregnant with his child and experienced morning sickness, he would complain and become abusive to her when she was sick. He would be abusive about her cooking and throw plates of food on the floor. He also stopped her from registering at a doctor as he did not want her name linked to his address and once the baby was born, he often prevented them from leaving the home to go out.

Chapman also installed a RING doorbell and CCTV cameras inside and outside the property so he could monitor the victim’s movements.

She fled the address on three occasions; however Chapman convinced her to return claiming he would change his behaviour. During one of these occasions, he was arrested and placed on bail, however he contacted her and forced her to withdraw her statement and not support a police prosecution.

However Chapman was later charged with the controlling and coercive behaviour.  

Investigating officer PC Josh Zniszczol said: “Chapman has caused the victim extreme stress and anxiety over the few years that they were in a relationship. Controlling behaviour in a relationship ruins lives and Chapman has clearly demonstrated that he is capable of this and have shown no remorse for his actions throughout.  

“The victim fled the address on two occasions previously, but with no friends or family nearby to help, he took advantage of this and persuaded her to return. However his behaviour never changed and the cycle of abuse worsened, which resulted in him having a firmer grip on the victim’s day to day life until she was finally able to flee and seek help.

“I would like to commend the victim in this investigation, who has shown incredible bravery to report Chapman’s offending and support this process, in the face of his denials, through to conviction.

“Any form of domestic abuse will not be tolerated. If you are a victim of domestic abuse, we will do whatever we can to bring those responsible to justice”.

There are a range of discreet reporting mechanisms available. For more information, visit Advice about domestic abuse | Sussex Police