Abuser Jailed for 'Destroying' Influencer's Life as Rape Charges Are Dropped Following Victim's Death
A mother has spoken of her fury after her daughter's domestic abuser avoided a full trial for multiple rape allegations following the young woman's tragic death. Joel Osei, 33, has been jailed for four years and two months for what a judge described as 'persistent and significant' abuse that 'destroyed' his girlfriend's life, but the influencer did not live to see him face the most serious charges.
System Failure Leaves Rape Allegations Unprosecuted
Osei, of Redbridge, faced four counts of rape at a trial last year, but the case collapsed after 29-year-old Tianne Robinson died from a blood clot on September 12, 2025. Prosecutors attempted to have Tianne's video-recorded police interview admitted as hearsay evidence, but after six days of legal argument and consultation with her family, Osei's pleas to the remaining domestic abuse charges were accepted and the rape allegations were not proceeded with.
Speaking outside Snaresbrook Crown Court this week, Tianne's mother Amanda Taylor expressed her devastation at the outcome. 'He destroyed her through domestic abuse, and silenced her, made her scared, where she couldn't reach out to her family,' she said. 'Unfortunately it's not the sentence I wanted, but I don't believe the justice system helps women fleeing domestic abuse or survivors of domestic abuse.'
Ms Taylor highlighted what she sees as a fundamental injustice in the legal process. 'When my daughter was alive her evidence wasn't hearsay. When he tried to get bail three times, her evidence wasn't hearsay. When she passed away, he again tried to get bail and her evidence wasn't hearsay. That should have been enough for it to go to trial.'
Pattern of Brutal Abuse Revealed in Court
The court heard harrowing details of Osei's campaign of abuse against Tianne, who had built up tens of thousands of followers on TikTok and Instagram sharing makeup tutorials and updates about her endometriosis diagnosis. Their relationship, which began in 2021, quickly turned 'violent and aggressive' according to evidence presented to Recorder James Willian KC.
Osei's catalogue of abuse included:
- Strangling Tianne on multiple occasions
- Covering her face with a pillow during one strangulation incident
- Kicking and dragging her across the floor
- Threatening to bury her in Epping Forest
- Threatening to blow up her home
- Smashing her phone to prevent her from seeking help
- Verbally abusing her with insults including 'fat f**king b*tch' and 'slag'
On one occasion, after Tianne called 999 using her phone's emergency button following a bomb threat, a call handler could hear Osei verbally abusing her before he grabbed the phone and ended the call. Police attended another incident and observed marks on Tianne's neck, arresting Osei despite his attempts to prevent her from giving a statement.
Mother Confronts Abuser in Emotional Court Appearance
As she delivered her victim impact statement, Ms Taylor demanded that Osei look at her from the dock, telling him to 'show some respect'. When his head appeared to droop, she challenged him directly. 'Why did you put your head down? Did your mum not tell you to look at people when they talk to you?'
Remembering her daughter's final years, Ms Taylor told the court: 'Since my daughter met you, her life was never the same. You took her beautiful smile. You broke her spirit and her soul. You hurt her in ways that no human should ever have to experience.'
She added that Tianne had kept the abuse secret to protect her family, asking Osei: 'Does that make you a man, scaring Tianne into thinking she had to keep the abuse a secret to protect me and her sisters?'
Legal Complexities and Ongoing Investigations
Defence counsel Bartholomew O'Toole reminded the court that Osei had not been prosecuted in relation to Tianne's death, urging the judge not to let the family's emotions affect the sentence. Reading from Osei's letter to the judge, which caused indignation in the public gallery, Mr O'Toole quoted: 'Tianne was everything to me. She was my world... I never got the chance to say I am sorry and she never got to see the changed man I have become.'
In his sentencing remarks, Recorder Willian noted that Tianne had become 'unrecognisable' due to Osei's abuse and that the 'deeply loving and caring person' had been so terrified by his threats and behaviour that she began self-harming. The judge increased the total sentence for coercive and controlling behaviour to four years and two months, taking into account concurrent sentences for strangulation and assault.
Following the hearing, Ms Taylor revealed she is calling on Nottinghamshire Police to hand over her daughter's mobile phone to the Metropolitan Police for analysis, hoping it might contain evidence that could assist any future rape investigation. The phone is currently with Nottinghamshire Police as part of their investigation into Tianne's death, while the Met leads the abuse investigation against Osei.
Inquest to Examine Abuse as Contributing Factor
An inquest was opened at Nottingham Coroner's Court in December, establishing Tianne's provisional cause of death as pulmonary artery embolism and deep vein thrombosis. A full inquest is due to be held this year, where Tianne's family hope Osei's abuse can be recognised as a contributing factor to her death.
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: 'Our thoughts remain with Tianne Robinson's family following her tragic death. We have a duty to keep all live cases under review. During his trial, the defendant in this case pleaded guilty to intentional strangulation, controlling or coercive behaviour and assault by beating. After careful consideration of all the available evidence, we accepted those pleas. The victim's mother was kept informed before this decision was made.'
The case has highlighted significant questions about how the justice system handles domestic abuse cases when victims die before trial, particularly regarding the admissibility of evidence and the pursuit of justice for families left behind.
