Abuser Jailed After Trauma Ruled No Excuse

Tyla Wanstall, 29, has been sentenced to prison for a sustained campaign of abuse against his girlfriend, despite claiming the trauma of discovering his mother and sister dead was a contributing factor. The court heard that Wanstall inflicted months of threats, violence, and controlling behaviour on his victim, leaving her fearing for her life.

He was found to have subjected her to regular attempts to control her life, including physical assaults, death threats, and degrading treatment. One harrowing incident involved him dragging her to the edge of a bridge, threatening to throw her off. The judge accepted Wanstall had suffered considerably following the carbon monoxide deaths of his mother, Leah Churchill, 50, and sister, Brooke Wanstall, 17, in February 2023. However, the judge ruled that this trauma did not excuse the "protracted and serious abuse." Wanstall was jailed for three years, with the judge stating that an immediate prison sentence was the only justifiable punishment for his conduct. He will serve half of his sentence before release on license.