A MAN who subjected a vulnerable woman to months of prolonged degradation and violent and psychological abuse has been jailed and ordered to pay her £10,000 compensation.

It was the second time Keith Andrew Turner, 49, was jailed for abusive behaviour towards his partners, having previously been jailed in 2012.

On that occasion Turner served 16 months imprisonment for behaving in a similar manner towards two other women.

Caroline Abraham, prosecuting, described a catalogue of violent and psychological abuse by Turner of a 30-year-old York woman between December 2015 and July 2017.

It included Turner kicking and being violent towards the woman when she was pregnant with their son, violence towards her after giving birth and referring to the baby in derogatory terms.

When she finally found the courage to go to the police, Turner made her give evidence at his trial for eight hours before changing his plea to guilty.

“I see this as part of your campaign against her,” Judge Andrew Stubbs QC told Turner.

“It is yet a further example of your lack of regard for your victim and your cowardice in the way you were behaving towards this vulnerable victim over a long period of time.

“You treated her in a way that was degrading and in a frightening manner.

“She was reduced to submission and was eventually under your control.”

Turner, of Green Lane, Acomb, was jailed for three years and nine months for using to controlling and coercive behaviour in a relationship, an offence for which the maximum sentence is five years.

He was also banned indefinitely from contacting or seeing the victim and ordered to pay her £10,000 for the psychological and financial harm she had suffered.

He grabbed her hair, tried to drag her down stairs, threatened her and ripped her clothes, made her sleep on the floor and repeatedly threw her and her belongings out of their home, locking her out for periods of time.

In a prolonged incident that took place both upstairs and downstairs, he fetched a knife and she banged her head against a fridge.

The next day, as they were driving to Monks Cross to get make-up to cover her black eye, he threw her out of the car and left her.

He returned, told her to get back into the car, where he insulted her, pulled her forwards and backwards and ripping her clothes.

On other occasions, he questioned her about her previous sexual partners and slapped her when she gave answers he didn’t like.

He isolated her from her family and friends and forced her to take out a loan she couldn’t afford to pay for his car. She had a company car.

He persuaded her to move in with him to a house he owned, made her spend the money she had saved towards having her own house on refurnishing his house and then made her pay him rent.

He left her with debts and so terrified of meeting him she left York.

She also had to change jobs because his treatment of her had caused her too much embarrassment at her place of work.

Defence barrister Jane Greenhalgh said at the time of the offences, Turner had been suffering from depression and anxiety and his father had a terminal illness.

“He describes being in a terrible place,” she said.

Turner had been asked to bring medical evidence to court, but did not produce any.

Ms Greenhalgh said Turner would sell one of the three houses he rented out to pay the compensation.

He also owns a house where his wife lives.

Ms Abraham said Turner has 19 previous convictions, including two of harassment against two other partners.

“The behaviour in these previous matters bears strong resemblance to the pattern of offending in this particular case, including kicking and punching, ripping clothes and leaving them by the roadside,” she said.

Turner served 16 months imprisonment for those offences.

The law making controlling and coercive behaviour in a relationship an offence did not come into effect until 2015.

Turner's victims have spoken to The Press of their ordeal.