A dangerous offender who strangled a woman and then threatened to publish intimate videos of her has been jailed for more than four years.
Even when he was in custody awaiting a trial for those offences, Thomas Taylor continued to harass the woman from Lewes Prison.
Last Friday, Hove Crown Court heard Taylor’s victim was still struggling to come to terms with his abuse of her, which she said had been happening for several years.
He showed no remorse, shouting from the dock that she was a liar as he sobbed over the sentence passed by Recorder Patricia Hitchcock.
Sentencing, Ms Hitchcock said Taylor’s previous convictions, including throwing a molotov cocktail at an old schoolfriend over a £30 cannabis debt, helped convince her he was a dangerous offender.
She said: “There is a total lack of remorse or acceptance of your wrongdoing. It’s clear your victim has suffered lasting impacts from your treatment of her.
“What you did was designed to cause maximum distress and humiliation.
“[The witness initimidation] was committed in custody when you were well aware you should not be contacting your victim.
“There’s a high risk you will commit a future offence. Your counsel argues the risk is primarily to one person.
“But these offences took place over a period of nearly three years and show a pattern of behaviour. A lack of emotional regulation is reflected in your pursuit of your earlier victim.
“I have read and considered carefully character references from 10 of your friends and family who say you are an honest, reliable dedicated family man.
“Five prison officers have written in support and it’s clear you are a model prisoner.
“It’s very difficult to correlate this with the facts of this case and your previous offences. You have been convicted of 24 offences, six of them involving violence against the person.
“The initial offence I am sentencing you for today took place within a few months of your last release from prison.
“Despite the verdict of the jury you feel no remorse and don’t feel you did anything wrong. I agree with the conclusion of your pre-sentence report that you are dangerous and an extended licence is necessary for the protection of the public.”
Taylor was charged with intentional strangulation on 13 September, 2023, and threatening to share a film of the woman in an intimate state on 2 April 2025.
Looks like he drinks Stella for breakfast and then spends the rest of the day painting flags on roundabouts.
How was he able to able to continue contacting her while he was in jail awaiting trial? Are there no checks on who a suspect is contacting?