'I lived in constant fear of controlling abuser'

"I lived in constant fear of what he might do next," the victim of abuser James Saxon has told a court.

She described how Saxon's controlling and coercive behaviour took away her confidence, safety and peace of mind and she said she believed the stress of it all led to her having a miscarriage.

Saxon, 28, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, has been jailed for two years and three months after pleading guilty at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.

The court heard how he put the victim under surveillance, isolated her from friends and family and would threaten to crash the car when he was driving.

"The physical assault left me with pain and injury to my neck, but the emotional scars run far deeper," she said.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said Saxon had locked her in a room and refused to let her out as she cried and pleaded with him, forcing her to contemplate climbing out of a window to escape.

He had monitored her movements and threatened and intimidated her and his drug use had intensified his aggression and erratic behaviour, GMP added.

Footage from the victim's doorbell camera was used in court, showing Saxon yelling at the victim, neighbours and the victim's clients on several occasions, GMP said.

In March 2025, police said Saxon's abuse escalated further, leading to his arrest after he had pursued the victim in her car and tried to find a hidden weapon in the back seat at the traffic lights.

Despite being on bail, police said Saxon continued to harass the victim via social media, text messages, and in person and he was arrested again.

Saxon, of Ludlow Road, showed no care or remorse throughout his trial, police said, as he laughed at the victim whilst she delivered her victim impact statement.

The victim told the court: "His controlling and coercive behaviour slowly took away everything - my confidence, my safety, my independence, and my peace of mind.

"I lived in constant fear of what he might do next.

"What hurts the most is that during this time, I was pregnant. The stress, fear, and emotional abuse I suffered led to me losing that baby. That loss broke me."

After the miscarriage he told her to "get over it" when she cried, she said.

The victim said she felt like Saxon would "harass me forever" and she feared for her family's safety.

"James would scream at me whilst driving, saying he would write the car off with us both in it," she added.

After sentencing, PC Elizabeth Andrews said the case demonstrated the "devastating impact" coercive and controlling behaviour can have on victims, and urged others to come forwards.

"Over several years, Saxon systematically stripped away the victim's sense of self with relentless emotional abuse," she said.

Saxon, who pleaded guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour, possession of an offensive weapon and assault, was also given a five-year restraining order.

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