Darren Smith from Newbury faces coercive control charge

A man has been accused of criminally controlling behaviour towards his partner.

Reading magistrates held a preliminary hearing into the case against Darren Smith on Thursday, May 29.

The 35-year-old, of Craven Road, Newbury, is charged with coercively controlling his partner for years.

Specifically, the charge states that, between October 1, 2016, and February 29 last year, “you [Smith] repeatedly or continuously engaged in behaviour which was controlling or coercive, repeatedly assaulted the aggrieved, stopped and/or sought to stop the aggrieved contacting former boyfriends and ex-partners; repeatedly checked the aggrieved's phone; checked what the aggrieved was doing both at her work and after her work, when she was associating with her colleagues; kept the aggrieved short of money and directed abuse towards the aggrieved […], to whom, at the time of the behaviour, you were personally connected in that you were first partners and then spouses.”

Mr Smith is further accused of sending his victim a WhatsApp message which conveyed a threat for the purpose of causing anxiety or distress in Newbury on July 22, 2022.

Magistrates adjourned the case until a later date, when Mr Smith will be expected to attend and to enter pleas to both charges.