A violent and controlling boyfriend condemned his long suffering girlfriend to take a lie detector test to prove she was not cheating on him.
Ben Halpin, 34 was so convinced Sandra Newton was having an affair he would delete male friends from her phone contacts and log into her Facebook account to check up on her. She agreed to take the test to prove him wrong.
Halpin, of Gorton, Manchester was eventually arrested after he subjected Miss Newton to a series of beatings.
During one assault, he punched her in the face and head for several hours then refused to let an ambulance in to treat her.
He subjected her to further rages at the height of lockdown in April this year, which caused a lump on her forehead and over her left eye.
He then beat her and smashed her £1,500 mobile phone in June after they briefly broke up.
Ben Halpin, pictured, has avoided jail after subjecting his girlfriend Sandra Newton to multiple violent assaults which left her needing hospital treatment as well as smashing up her phone
At Manchester Crown Court, Halpin faced jail after he admitted assault and criminal damage but he was given 16 months jail suspended for two years after she agreed to give their relationship another go.
He was also ordered to complete 15 rehabilitation days and a rehabilitation course for domestic abusers.
Sentencing Judge Michael Leeming told Halpin: ‘I cannot imagine it is going to be a particularly happy Christmas for either of you if you continue to behave in this way.
‘When you were arrested you blamed your victim saying she drank too much and had thrown the mobile phone. This, of course, was untrue as you were the aggressor.’
The court heard Halpin had known the victim for around four years through work and the pair had begun a relationship in July 2019, which was ‘great’ until they moved in together.
Prosecutor John Hargan said: ‘From that point his behaviour completely changed – he became controlling and jealous of her male friends, colleagues and family.
‘The defendant deleted her male friends’ numbers from her mobile, logged into her Facebook account to see who she was talking to and changed her password a few times to stop her getting into her own account.
‘She even took a lie detector test shortly before Christmas 2019 to prove she was not cheating, which she agreed to do to prove him wrong.
Pictured: Sandra Newton and boyfriend Ben Halpin who has avoided jail after assaulting her
‘She also said he didn’t like her wearing certain clothes such as shorts in summer and leggings at work.
‘The victim said in the last year, the relationship had gone from bad to worse.
‘Just after Christmas 2019 they were at home together and she put the phone down after speaking to her daughter.
‘He thought they were discussing something sinister, became angry and started an argument.
‘He started shouting and screaming at her. She asked him to stop but he carried on.
‘He clenched his fists and punched her in the face and head. He is much taller than her and she said he swung his right arm up until it made contact with the left hand side of his face.
‘She pushed the defendant away and ran upstairs to get away. He followed her and grabbed her on the stairs, and he turned to hit her again.
‘She tried to push him away with broken hinges from the door, but he got in and punched her before restraining her on the bed.
Sandra Newton (pictured) was left seeking hospital treatment for back pain after Halpin attacked her at home after he was upset with her for speaking to her daughter on the phone
‘She could not breathe for a few seconds as he tightened his grip around her throat.
‘He threw her across the bedroom, and she fell to the floor. He kicked and punched her on the back as she lay on the floor.
‘She told him to stop. He then got into bed as though nothing had happened and she went downstairs and called the police but didn’t tell them everything that happened.
‘An ambulance was called but she did not get medical treatment as he had refused to let them in. The whole incident lasted for a couple of hours.
‘The next morning he apologised and said he would never do it again. He said he was sorry and warned her he might lose his job if she told police.
‘She visited A&E a few days later as her back pain was getting worse. He went with her and she told doctors she had just hurt her back.
‘An x-ray found bruising, she was given pain killers and had to take eight days off work.
‘The victim told police the relationship was horrible, that she was scared of him and what he would do to her and that he kept doing it and would not change.
Halpin got a 16-month prison sentence suspended for two years at Manchester Crown Court
‘However she did not wish to provide a further statement and is believed to have wanted him back.
‘The defendant breached his bail conditions by moving in with her for which he was remanded on 2 October 2020.
‘The defendant was arrested in September 2020 and interviewed by police. He denied the assaults and criminal damage, said he did not recall some of the incident, claimed she drinks a lot and said she threw and damaged the mobile.
In mitigation defence counsel Paul Bryning said: ‘The defendant accepts his responsibility for this offence, does not blame drink and recognises alcohol is an adverse factor in his life. He is deeply ashamed and embarrassed by his behaviour. He is motivated to be a better partner in the future.’