A female army reservist who served in Afghanistan has been living in fear in a secret location after her ‘evil’ ex-boyfriend snuck into her house when she was sleeping and beat her up.
Mother-of-two Lianne Ross-Lightbown, 33, was forced to move after Phillip Hansell waged a one-man war against her during their toxic relationship, Chester Crown Court heard.
Hansell, 33, a former lance corporal from Crewe, has now been jailed for four and a half years after he admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm and stalking causing serious alarm or distress.
Jurors heard how father-of-one Hansell repeatedly beat Miss Ross-Lightbown and then stalked her over social media when she went away on holiday.
And in one incident jealous Hansell got into her home via a back door while she was asleep, before straddling and repeatedly punching her in the face.
Former army reservist Lianne Ross-Lightbown was living in fear of ‘evil’ ex Phillip Hansell
Former lance corporal Hansell, from Crewe, has now been jailed for assaulting and stalking her
She was bombarded with social media abuse while on holiday in New Zealand
When she left the UK the following day to fly 11,500 miles to New Zealand for a family trip, he posted abusive messages saying he had soiled her underwear and training shoes.
In a series of posts, Hansell vowed: ‘You are on the other side of the world but you are still managing to p*** me off.
‘If you think I’m not going to f*** you when you come back you are very stupid. Do anything to me and I swear to God I will kill one of your kids’.’
Hansell was arrested after Miss Ross-Lightbown arrived back home in Crewe with her children to find three missed calls from him on her mobile before he turned up at her property 15 minutes later.
When she told to him to go, he hammered on the front door and tried the handle before laughing and shouting through a kitchen window: ‘I’ve come to s*** you.’
When interviewed by police Hansell alleged he was the victim and claimed he had been assaulted by Miss Ross-Lightbown on various occasions.
In a statement, Miss Ross-Lightbown – who served with the Expeditionary Force Institutes at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province, Afghanistan – said she was left ‘shaking like a leaf’ by her experiences.
She also told of going into ‘meltdown’ whenever she sees a dark silhouette at the window, because Hansell would always wear dark clothes.
She said: ‘He is an evil man who is a danger to women and I hope he’s held to account for how he treated me.
Miss Ross-Lightbown served with the Expeditionary Force Institutes at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province, Afghanistan
Former army reservist Miss Ross-Lightbown, left, has been left traumatised by her ex-boyfriend’s attacks on her
She told the court of being left ‘a shell of myself’ by Phillip Halsall’s treatment of her
‘My life has been through a deeply traumatic experience and it has left deep scars, both physically and emotionally.
‘I am so mentally and emotionally abused – he has left me a shell of myself. Even though I know that he is in prison I am scared that someone is coming to get me.’
She described having cameras at the front and back of her new property for her own protection as well as a letterbox that can be locked.
Miss Ross-Lightbown added: ‘I shake for no reason and I worry about bumping anyone who knows him – I feel my chest get tight and I have panic attacks because of the stress of everything and how he treated me.
‘I have been in the army and I have never witnessed things he has said and done before. He is in my brain all the time because of what he has said and done and it made me feel so isolated, I am in a different town.
‘All the friends that I had did not want to be involved and I have to start again. I do not tell anyone where I live as I am so scared he will find out and I have got privacy films over the windows so people cannot see inside.
‘My eldest son does not even know the town where we live so that he cannot tell anyone at school. I used to be happy-go-lucky but now I feel upset and miserable all the time.’
The pair met at a gym in February last year and began dating shortly afterwards.
Nicholas Williams, prosecuting, told the trial: ‘There were outbursts where he became increasingly verbally aggressive but nothing was directed to Miss Ross-Lightbown herself.
Father-of-one Hansell got into Miss Ross-Lightbown’s home and repeatedly punched her
Lianne Ross-Lightbown described Phillip Hansell as ‘an evil man who is a danger to women’
The mother-of-two has been forced to move to a secret new location, ‘living in fear’ of him
‘She enjoyed his company and did not feel at risk at that point and by March they were in a sexual relationship with one another.
‘On April 26 they were in bed when the defendant upset her by talking about having sex with another woman. She cried and the defendant punched her in the face with a lot of force. The punch connected with her left eye and caused a black eye.’
Mr Williams described the attack on July 6 when Hansell entered her home through the back door before assaulting her, leaving her with ‘significant bruising to the left arm, left eye and to the right hand’.
And he told jurors Hansell then ‘bombarded her with abuse by social media posts’ after she had set off for New Zealand, adding: ‘When she blocked him on one, he moved to another and created different accounts.
‘Miss Ross-Lightbown ended up having to deactivate her social media all together. The messages referred to her as a rat and he also sent threatening video messages.’
Hansell had 42 offences on his record including common assault, wounding, threatening someone with a blade, breach of a non-molestation order, breach of a restraining order and harassment.
He was previously jailed in 2021 for a racially aggravated malicious communication offence.
In a statement read to the court, Hansell – who spent four years in the army – said: ‘I am deeply ashamed and take full responsibility.
Miss Ross-Lightbown had to deactivate her social media accounts after his relentless abuse
She had met Hansell at a gym in February last year and they began dating shortly afterwards
Injuries he inflicted on her included a black eye last April 26 and a bruised arm on July 6
‘I was brought up to never raise a hand to a woman and I hope my behaviour does not affect Lianne severely in future. I have an 11-year-old daughter and I should be setting a better example. I have let my sister and my nan down as well.
‘I am suffering from depression and anxiety and I have previously had anger issues. Upon coming to prison I have been tackling those issues head on. I am changing to be better myself as a man, a son, brother and a father. I want to express my sincerest apologies to Lianne.’
Sentencing Hansell while also imposing a restraining order, the judge Mr Recorder Eric Lamb told him: ‘You have made the life of your victim an utter misery.
‘It is to your credit that you are taking medication for your depression and acknowledging that you have been suffering from paranoia but the pre-sentence report makes it clear you are a dangerous offender because of your previous history and present situation.’
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