Man who paralysed girlfriend in attack jailed for 16 years

A “Jekyll and Hyde monster” who left his girlfriend paralysed from a brutal assault has been jailed for 16 years.

Robert Easom, 57, attacked Trudi Burgess in a culmination of eight years of controlling, coercive and violent behaviour.

On Friday, he was sentenced at Preston Crown Court where he was told he must also serve an extended licence period of four years.

Throughout their relationship, Ms Burgess, 57, documented the abuse in the notes section of her phone.

In addition to the serious physical assaults, she described what she called “low-level events” that became normalised, in which she lived in a cycle where Easom would be verbally or physically abusive, then apologetic and affectionate.

Ms Burgess told Easom on February 17 last year that she was finally leaving him, but he responded with a ferocious attack on her, which severed her spinal cord.

When Easom called for an ambulance, he claimed she had “an accident” and “fallen out of bed”.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Ms Burgess said: “This crime has taken away everything I built, planned for and enjoyed.

“It has robbed me of my health, my independence, my ability to care for my family, my career, my freedom and my peace of mind.

“Each day is a physical, emotional and mental battle. This injury is permanent. I will never get back the life I had. I now live with constant pain, with limitations and heartbreak.

“My children and granddaughter have lost the mother and grandmother they once had.

“I am left learning to live a life I didn’t choose – and would not wish on anyone. This isn’t just a physical injury, it is the destruction of a life.

“The pain doesn’t stop with me. The ripples of pain are felt by everyone who loves me and cares for me. I want the court to consider not just the brutality of the attack but the ongoing permanent consequences I now face.

“I also want the court to be aware of my real concern for anyone getting involved with Robert in the future romantically or otherwise. He has a true Jekyll and Hyde personality.

“He could be a loving and attentive partner and then he could switch in a moment into a truly terrifying monster, restraining me, dragging me round the room, screaming threats at me. All of which were dismissed moments later.

“I am living proof of the devastating effects of his uncontrolled bursts of anger.”

Easom, formerly of Longridge Road, Chipping, was convicted by a jury of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

He had previously admitted to engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour between July 2017 and February 2025, as well as two offences of actual bodily harm.

Jurors at Easom’s trial heard that teacher Ms Burgess was paralysed from the chest downwards after her attacker placed his hands on her head, while she was kneeling, and pushed down with all his strength.

Giving evidence she told the court: “I felt my head was being folded into my body, my head completely into my chest and I felt it crack and I felt all feeling going out of my body.

“I thought I am dying. He is not stopping and he was shouting ‘I will shut you up, shut up,  I will f***ing shut you up’ and he was pushing like a monster.”

Sentencing, the Recorder of Preston, Judge Robert Altham KC, told landscape gardener Easom: ” In the aftermath of the incident itself you were concerned only with yourself. You initially told the 999 operator that she had fallen from her bed.

“Once that call was over and you were waiting for the ambulance to arrive, she told you that this story would not stand up to scrutiny.

“You bemoaned the fact that, should you tell the truth, you would go to prison, lose contact with your sons and lose your business.

“Against that background and at a point of ultimate vulnerability, she agreed with you to say that the injury had been caused during affectionate play fighting.

“However, once at hospital and able to contemplate her true situation and removed from your malevolent influence she bravely resolved to tell the truth.”

Following sentence,  Alison Wolstenholme, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “The incredible strength shown by the victim during this prosecution cannot be overstated.

“Her support has allowed us to bring the strongest possible case against a dangerous abuser and ensure he faces the full force of the law.”

Det Con Bethanie Kirk, from Lancashire Constabulary, said: “Robert Easom is a manipulative, controlling and cowardly individual with a warped sense of entitlement and repulsive views towards women.

“His reckless and repulsive actions could have very easily led to Trudi’s death.”

Speaking outside court on her behalf, Ms Burgess’s brother Charlie said: “I refuse to let the abuse I experienced be the final word on who I am. From this point on, I want to help others.

“Domestic abuse rarely begins with physical violence. At the beginning, abuse can be subtle, through manipulation and small behaviours that chip away at your confidence.

“I didn’t recognise those signs early enough, I didn’t know what coercive control was, and I know now how important it is that we talk about all of this openly.

“Moving forward, I want to raise awareness of those warning signs and to support other women who might be questioning their relationships, doubting themselves or feeling too frightened to reach out.

“If my voice can help even one woman leave before violence escalates, then something positive will have come from all of this.

“To anyone listening today who is living with fear or uncertainty, you’re not alone.”

– Help and support is available by calling the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.