A WOMAN was repeatedly beaten by her convicted rapist partner who moved in with her on his release from prison.

During a four-month relationship Alan Badley threatened to slit the woman’s throat and displayed increasingly controlling behaviour, refusing to let her visit her parents and persuading her to have her pet dog put down.

Durham Crown Court heard the couple met through a mutual friend when she was on a prison visit.

But, after his release, the defendant, who was originally from Merseyside, moved in with her at her home in Peterlee.

Lewis Kerr, prosecuting, said within days Badley became verbally abusive and violent.

Badley threw a mobile phone at the woman, leaving her bruised, grabbed her by the neck and hair,and threatened to slit her throat.

Badley moved back to Liverpool early in 2016, but returned to the woman’s home on February 22.

Mr Kerr said arguments developed as he accused her of seeing other men and he hit her in the head and kneed her in the midriff.

He also held a knife wrapped in a towel to her throat, telling her she was going to be stabbed, before flinging her across the room into a table.

A medical examination of the victim confirmed she had suffered injuries consistent with being assaulted.

She also suffered nightmares and flashbacks, and underwent counselling to try to cope with anxiety.

Mr Kerr said Badley failed to appear for an earlier court hearing.

He was later arrested in Merseyside after failing to comply with the notification requirements as a sex offender, by declaring a change of address.

Badley, 29, of Birkenhead in Merseyside, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm, harassment with violence, failing to comply with sex offender register requirements and failing to appear at a previous court hearing.

Gareth Bellis, mitigating, said matters arose from what he described as, “a tumultuous relationship”.

Mr Bellis said Badley did not deal with flashpoint situations well, not helped by his failure to take prescribed medication for depression.

Jailing him for a total of three years, Recorder Bryan Cox told Badley: “This was sustained violence over a substantial period”.

The judge also put in place a restraining order forbidding Badley from trying to contact or approach his former partner, without limit of time.