A man from Sandwell has been sentenced to three years in prison after a court heard how he subjected his partner to a campaign of control, coercion and violence. Darren Hudson, 37, forced the woman to smoke crack cocaine before repeatedly strangling and assaulting her.
Wolverhampton Crown Court was told that Hudson initially met the woman via Facebook five years ago and after a few months of online communication, the two began a relationship.
From the outset, Hudson exhibited controlling behaviours, accusing the woman of infidelity and restricting her interactions, which made her feel worthless. When he moved in with her, his control intensified; he took over her bank account, spending money on drugs and alcohol, and forbade her from eating with her children. As a consequence, the children had to move in with their father, an event that had a significant impact on the victim.
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The abuse escalated to violence. On one occasion prior to Christmas 2025, after consuming drugs and alcohol with his brother-in-law, Hudson accused his partner of having an affair. He then forced her to sit on the floor and made her smoke crack cocaine, a drug she had never used before. She described feeling horrified and scared.
Later, when the brother-in-law had left, Hudson attacked the woman in her bedroom, punching her repeatedly in the face and head before strangling her with both hands until she lost consciousness.
In a separate incident on 3 February, Hudson threatened a man outside his workplace while wielding a hammer. Two days later, he again assaulted his partner by grabbing her neck and squeezing tightly, smashed her phone and punched a hole in a wall.
Hudson has a history of offending, with 13 previous convictions for 19 offences between 2006 and 2024, including breaching a restraining order in 2018.
Defending counsel acknowledged that the threshold for custody was met, but described Hudson as genuinely remorseful and regretful for his actions.
Recorder M Wheeler sentenced Hudson to 36 months imprisonment, to serve half in custody before being eligible for release on licence. Hudson was also issued a restraining order preventing any contact with the victim, either directly or indirectly.
The court described Hudson’s actions as a gradual but severe erosion of the woman’s autonomy and safety, culminating in serious physical and psychological harm.