gwent policeWarning: This story contains details of physical and emotional abuse.
A man who violently abused his partner for seven years, leaving her 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 wear a full face covering to hide her wounds, and spent £280,000 in a divorce settlement.
The 67-year-old man was 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 worked your way through the machinations of a domestic abuser.”
The pair lived off-grid in a caravan near Tintern after meeting in 2015 as Mrs Norman’s 25-year marriage was ending.
The nurse and therapist, now 64, went on the run after trying to strangle her during her 61st birthday dinner in July 2022, the jury was told.
Judge Williams said Villafane charmed his partner and pretended to be caring and generous.
In a statement to the court, Mrs Norman said she felt “guilt and embarrassment” about being “taken down the garden path” by Villafane.
She told the court that their relationship had developed rapidly and within seven years he had isolated her from her parents, children and friends.
He did not allow her to attend a memorial service for her father in Edinburgh and took away her mobile phone, saying it was a privilege that had to be earned.
The court heard his isolated lifestyle meant he could exploit her in secret.
He told police he was punched, kicked and hit with a stick and was forced to remain in the caravan they lived in for hours, often without food and water.
He has since been diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and has to walk with the aid of a stick due to balance problems caused by the injuries he sustained.
She remembered that Villafane had tied her up and pushed her head into a toolbox filled with dirty water until she was unconscious.
The jury was told that once he forced her to stand naked in the cold and darkness and “pray for forgiveness”.
The court heard he has 15 convictions for 37 offenses since 1971, including violence, fraud, theft, drugs, offensive weapons and public disorder.
This year, he was convicted of animal cruelty for not ensuring the welfare of a horse.
Martha Smith-Higgins, defending, said Villafane had a previous diagnosis of personality disorder with psychotic features.
In addition to the prison sentence, Villafane was given an indefinite restraining order, barring him from contacting Mrs Norman and people close to her.
Judge Williams told Villafane: “You chose not to give evidence or subject yourself to the inconvenience of investigation.
“Like any hard work, you left evidence to Sally Ann.
“You remained in the dock relying on your lies in your police interview that she was confused and you only tried to help her move on.
“It’s hard to put into words the impact it had on him. It’s hard to overstate the impact.”
“You are out to ruin his life and in many ways his life has been ruined.”
If you are affected by any of the issues in this report, help and support is available BBC Action Line.
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