A former Royal Marine threatened to kill his partner while making a throat-slitting gesture with his hand. Gareth Evans, who now works on the oil rigs in the North Sea, also threatened to torch the family house.
Ryan Bowen, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court the defendant in the case was a former Royal Marine who now works offshore on North Sea oil rigs. He said prior to the incidents before the court the defendant and his long-term partner had been experiencing "difficulties in their relationship" and were having "regular arguments". He said during one such argument on July 24 last year Evans threated to slit his partner's throat – a threat issued while he was running his hand across the front of his neck. The defendant also threatened to burn down the family home.
The prosecutor said the second incident happened after the defendant had returned to Swansea from a period on the rigs. He said on September 28 last year Evans' partner collected him from the Railway Inn pub in Landore and at first his demeanour "seemed normal" save for "comments about being unhappy at returning home" after working away. However once at home the defendant started to become "aggressive and abusive" and he again repeated that he was unhappy at being back at home and wanted to be at work. Evans then threw a bowl of food to the floor and began swearing. At that point the defendant's partner left the house. The court heard that later that day Evans sent a message to his partner asking her to come home but she refused. The next morning Evans sent her a text in which he threatened to set fire to the family car.
The court heard the following day South Wales Police received an anonymous call during which Evans' threats were disclosed and the 51-year-old defendant was subsequently arrested at Morriston Hospital where he was receiving treatment. In his interview Evans told officers he had post-traumatic stress disorder and he misused alcohol, cocaine, and prescription medication. He admitted sending the text messages but said he could remember little of the events of September 28 and 29 due to his intoxication.
Gareth Evans, of Middle Road, Cwmbwrla, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to making threats to kill and making threats to damage property when he appeared in the dock via videolink from prison for sentencing. He has four previous convictions for five offences including driving with excess alcohol and three assaults by beating. One of the assaults involved the defendant spitting on a traffic warden in Woodfield Street in Morriston, another saw him slap a man after being ejected from a pub, and the third involved him grabbing a former partner and pushing her against a wall at a leisure centre. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter here.
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Tim Naylor, for Evans, said the defendant left school at the age of 16 and joined the Royal Marines where he went on to serve two tours in Northern Ireland and one in Iraq before leaving in 1996. He said his client later found work as a private security contractor in Iraq and it was there that he was shot in 2006. The barrister said while not an excuse for Evans' behaviour towards his partner the things his client had experienced and witnessed both in the military and in his subsequent career had had an impact on him. He said the defendant was "mortified" at the way he had behaved and was "entirely remorseful" for his actions. Mr Naylor said while being held on remand in prison his client had, for the first time, begun to engage with courses to tackle his addiction issues and he said he was in the somewhat unusual position of inviting a court to pass a custodial sentence of such a length as would allow his client to complete the 12 Steps programme but not one of such a length that would undo the good work he had already done.
Judge Paul Thomas KC said Evans had behaved "extremely aggressively" towards his partner and said given the defendant's military background the threats to kill accompanied by the throat-slitting gesture would have been "particularly chilling". He said he was satisfied Evans was genuinely remorseful for his behaviour and said he had read about the work the defendant had done while on remand and the "very positive contribution" he was making to HMP Swansea and to the welfare of others inmates. With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas Evans was sentenced to 14 months in prison. He will serve up to half that sentence in custody before being released to serve the remainder in the community.
If you or someone you know is affected by domestic abuse visit the Live Fear Free website or call the helpline on 0808 80 10 800.
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