Violent Bully Sentenced to 16 Years for Paralyzing Partner in Coercive Control Case
Robert Easom, a 57-year-old landscape gardener, has been handed a 16-year prison sentence for a horrific assault that left his partner, Trudi Burgess, paralyzed after years of relentless coercive and controlling behavior. The court heard that Easom, described as a "violent and controlling bully," broke Burgess's neck during a rage, resulting in a complete spinal cord injury that has left her tetraplegic and dependent on continuous care.
Details of the Assault and Coercive Control
Easom violently assaulted Burgess, a 57-year-old schoolteacher and former singer from Chorley, Lancashire, when she threatened to leave him after enduring eight years of abuse. The court was told that Easom pinned Burgess down and pushed her head into her body until her neck snapped. He denied causing grievous bodily harm with intent but was found guilty by a jury at Preston Crown Court after just 27 minutes of deliberation in November. Easom had admitted to causing the injury but denied intending serious harm.
Burgess, who is still hospitalized in a spinal injuries rehabilitation unit, attended the sentencing hearing to deliver a victim impact statement. She described how her life has been "destroyed" by Easom, who exhibited a "true Jekyll and Hyde personality." She suffers from depression, anxiety, PTSD, flashbacks, and nightmares, feeling "trapped and powerless" with her future rewritten against her will.
Pattern of Abuse and Coercive Behavior
The court heard that Easom engaged in a relentless campaign of coercive and controlling behavior, regularly verbally abusing Burgess with insults like calling her "a fucking teacher bitch" and physically assaulting her. Prosecuting barrister Sarah Magill detailed how Easom would alternate between loving behavior and violent outbursts, leaving Burgess confused and broken down. Burgess documented the abuse in her phone notes, which included incidents such as:
- Forcing her to clean up spilled food.
- Pushing her against furniture and head-butting her.
- Driving dangerously to frighten her.
- Dragging her around a bathroom during a trip to York in 2018, where he threatened her by quoting from Rambo.
- Violently grabbing her by the head and dragging her upstairs in 2019, banging her against steps.
- Strangling her with a sheet in York in 2021, leaving her terrified for her life.
Burgess felt too ashamed to tell her family but became trapped in a cycle of abuse, with Easom belittling her and claiming she could not cope without him when she tried to leave.
Sentencing and Impact on the Family
Jailing Easom, of Chipping, Lancashire, Judge Altham, the Recorder of Preston, stated that no sentence could "begin to equal the harm you caused." Easom will be eligible for parole after serving 16 years. He also pleaded guilty to two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one of controlling and coercive behavior.
The court heard that Burgess's husband, Craig Burgess, had died from brain cancer, and she was still grieving when she met Easom. Despite the abuse, the couple did fall in love, with Easom showing loving and considerate behavior on days he was not in a rage. Burgess's grown-up children, Gina and Jackson, delivered victim impact statements in person and set up a GoFundMe page to cover the life-changing costs of her care, raising £188,000 so far. They shared a YouTube link of their parents performing at Ronnie Scott's club in London in 1993 as a reminder of who Burgess is beyond her injury.
This case highlights the severe consequences of domestic violence and coercive control, with Burgess's life irrevocably altered by the actions of her partner. The sentencing serves as a stark reminder of the justice system's role in addressing such crimes and supporting victims in their recovery.
