Woman kept captive in loft for 5 years by Partner from hell

He Chained her to his arm to prevent her from escaping.

A woman was kept captive by her 'Monster' of a partner, leaving her 'a shadow of her former self' after being kept prisoner in her own home for 5 years.

Michael Cooper, 50, of Poulten-Le-Fylde, Blackpool, installed bars to the windows and forced her to sleep in the loft of their home, he was so paranoid that his partner would leave the house that he chained the pair together and secured it with a padlock.

On Friday March 3rd Preston Crown Court heard how when he thought she was trying to chop at the chains he broke her finger. he also strangled her to the point she thought she was going to die in another horrifying incident.

Alison Mather, Prosecuting, told Preston Crown Court how between 2015 and 2020, Cooper locked her up every night to prevent her from leaving, at first this was just a lock on the bedroom door, but this soon escalated after he feared she had discovered the code, leading him to move her to another room.

Once moved, he boarded up the windows and slept on a mattress set outside the room in an attempt to prevent her from leaving, later, he forced her to move to the loft, securing it with a hatch. this left her without an actual bedroom and having to ask for permission to come down and use the bathroom.

“I was living in constant fear of being assaulted, locked away, ridiculed and undermined”, she said. “This was a day to day occurrence and my life was stressful beyond anything I have experienced before or since. I was refused to have friends or any kind of normal life. Michael controlled every aspect of my days to such an extent I wasn’t allowed to have social media.”

The Court also heard that on one occasion the woman was threatened by Cooper saying he would stab her eyes with a fork and that he would 'pin her to the ceiling'. when he drank the paranoia got worse, then, on a holiday to Greece, he believed that his partner had somehow smuggled her Ex along. 

Chloe Fordham, Defending, said Coopers behaviour was one born out of his paranoia rather than that of malice, She said: “This man isn’t someone who didn’t care for his partner. He was led by feelings of paranoia into behaving in this despicable way - it was not a sadistic desire to be cruel.”

The woman managed to escape in June of 2020 where she ran to a local petrol station and called the police, Cooper was subsequently arrested but denied any controlling or coercive behaviour, he claims that he took the necessary steps to ensure his home was secure but that he had not assaulted any on. 

Cooper later pleaded guilty during the trail at Preston Crown Court. Ms Fordham said that since he has been remanded in custody, Cooper is taking medication to control his anxiety, his new partner, who supported him throughout the trial in court, reported no signs of abuse in the relationship.

In a statement about her ordeal, Cooper’s ex said: “I became a shadow of my former self. I became a completely different person and despite being free from Michael’s clutches I haven’t been able to return to how I was before. I am scared to go outside, and I question myself regularly, wondering whether what I am doing is allowed. I am incredibly nervous and anxious and am always looking behind me in case I am being followed.

“I find it hard to have an opinion - Michael took my opinions and thoughts away from me and told me I was worthless. He has ruined my life.”

At Sentencing, Judge Darren Preston said: “Over a period of five years you made the life of your then partner an absolute misery. Like the complete and clearly pathetic and inadequate man you are, you belittled her, you assaulted her, and you imprisoned her. From 2006 you suspected her of an affair with an ex, based on no evidence at all. You drank heavily, and were frequently aggressive, abusive, and paranoid to the point of complete absurdity.

“This case was described as a ‘reign of terror’. It is difficult to imagine a more serious example of coercive control than your effective imprisonment of your partner. The damage you caused cannot be under exaggerated. You inflicted untold damage.”

Cooper was sentenced to four years for his controlling and coercive behaviour.