Man jailed for coercive control of partner in Tintern caravan

Warning: This story contains details of physical and emotional abuse.

A man who subjected his partner to seven years of severe abuse, leaving him homeless, penniless and suicidal, has been jailed for eight years.

Antonio Villafane, of Tintern, Monmouthshire, imprisoned Sally Ann Norman in a caravan, forced her to cover her face completely to hide her bruises and spent her £280,000 divorce settlement.

he was 67 years old Found guilty of coercive control, strangulation, unlawful wounding, actual bodily harm and fraud.

At Newport Crown Court, Judge Daniel Williams told Villafane, also known as Anthony Manson: “You found your way using the domestic abuser’s playbook.”

The couple lived off the grid in a caravan near Tintern after meeting in 2015 as Ms Norman’s 25-year marriage was ending.

The nurse and therapist, now 64, ran away from him after he tried to strangle her in July 2022, the jury was told. During his 61st birthday dinner.

Judge Williams said Villafane charmed his partner and pretended to be caring and generous.

In her statement to the court, Ms Norman said she felt “guilt and shame” at being “taken into the garden path” by Villafane.

He told the court their relationship developed rapidly and over the course of seven years isolated him from his parents, children and friends.

He did not allow her to attend the memorial service held for her father in Edinburgh and took away her mobile phone, saying it was a privilege that had to be earned.

The court heard their isolated lifestyle meant he could secretly abuse her.

He told police he was punched, kicked and hit with a cane and forced to stay in the caravan where they lived for hours, often without food or water.

He has since been diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), and his injuries have left him walking with a stick due to balance issues.

He remembered Villafane tying him up and pushing his head into a toolbox full of dirty water until I almost fainted.

He forced her once stand naked in the cold and dark and “pray for forgiveness”A jury was told.

The court heard he had 15 convictions for 37 offenses dating back to 1971, including violence, fraud, theft, drugs, offensive weapons and public disorder.

This year he was found guilty of animal cruelty for failing to ensure the welfare of the horse.

Martha Smith-Higgins, defending, said Villafane had previously been diagnosed with a personality disorder with psychotic features.

In addition to the prison sentence, Villafane was also given an indefinite restraining order banning him from contacting Ms. Norman and anyone close to her.

Judge Williams told Villafane: “You chose not to give evidence or subject yourself to the inconvenience of scrutiny.

“Like any tough job, you stopped giving the evidence to Sally Ann.

“You remained in the dock, relying on the lies from your police interview that he was delusional and that you were only trying to help him grow.

“It’s hard to put into words the impact he had on him. It’s hard to overstate the impact.”

“You set out to destroy his life, and in many ways his life was left in ruins.”

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