Kilburn man who repeatedly beat his pregnant girlfriend is jailed for three years

A controlling Kilburn man who repeatedly beat his pregnant girlfriend has been jailed for three years.

Reece Penkert, who lived at Hillgrove Road, once punched his ex-partner so hard he fractured his own hand.

The 20-year-old was sentenced at Harrow Crown Court today for controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm following a 15-day trial.

The court heard he stopped her from going anywhere without him, took away her phone and looked through her messages and ordering her to delete her social networking accounts so that she had little contact with her family and friends.

Penkert also stopped her from wearing t-shirts and skirts and constantly accused her of cheating on him over the course of the two-year relationship, the Crown Prosecution (CPS) said.

The relationship started off well but within three months Penkert had become controlling and violent often hitting her,

When the victim was in labour he would not initially allow male doctors to examine her.

Emma Harris, from the CPS, said: “Reece Penkert demonstrated extremely controlling behaviour, which included assaulting his partner and trying to isolate her from her friends and family.

“Having suffered months of isolation and emotional and physical abuse, the victim showed immense bravery by giving evidence during the trial, and I would like to thank her for the courage she has shown.

“I hope today’s sentence provides some comfort to the victim and shows the CPS’s commitment to prosecuting cases of domestic abuse.”