A JEALOUS man in his early twenties has been sentenced for manipulating his ex-girlfriend over a period of nearly eight months.

Ethan Smith, 20, of Rawlinson Street, Barrow, prevented the woman from seeing her family and having relationships with other family members, Preston Crown Court.

Prosecutor Nicholas Flanagan said the Smith and the complainant had been in a relationship for four years starting when the victim was 16 years old.

He said the relationship was originally good at the beginning but declined between November 30 2022 and July 28 2023.

“Verbal arguments started to occur and the defendant began calling her abusive names,” Mr Flanagan said.

“The arguments got worse after she gave birth to their baby daughter in December 2022.”

The court heard Smith ordered the complainant to remove her mother as a contact in her phone in February 2023.

It was around this time that he then started to control the complainant’s appearance, the court heard.

Mr Flanagan told the court Smith made the victim remove her makeup and said that she no longer needed to wear it ‘as she was a mother now’.

He added the defendant would call her derogatory names whenever she chose to wear makeup.

Matters culminated on July 27 last year when Smith assaulted the victim when she told him she no longer wanted to be in a relationship.

The court was told the defendant caused bruising to her arm when he grabbed her and pulled her back into the property when she attempted to leave.

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In mitigation, Charlotte Phillips said the defendant had not committed any further offences since.

She added: “He is in a new relationship at a stable address. He is now working as a gutter cleaner and earns £250 cash in hand every month.

“He has been on tag for the last 197 days after being sentenced to a previous community order and has served the equivalent of a one-year sentence.

“He is still only 20 years old and has not reached full maturity yet. He is someone in my respectful submission who has a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

"I invite you to suspend any sentence of imprisonment.”

His Honour Judge Andrew Jefferies KC imposed a 12-month community order with one requirement of completing up to 25 RAR days.

Before passing sentence, he told Smith: “I am a really old-fashioned judge. I do not like it when blokes hit women and when blokes treat women badly.

“It seems to me you are going in the right direction. I am hoping you are a probation success.

“Do not let me see you again.”