A man has been jailed after he subjected his former partner to more than eight years of sexual assaults, controlling and coercive behaviour, strangulation and physical assaults.
Scott Herbert, aged 57 and of Bishops Walk in Forthampton, Tewkesbury, appeared at Gloucester Crown Court on Friday (5 June) and was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison.
Herbert had pleaded guilty to one count of controlling and coercive behaviour and three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was later found guilty of one count of rape and one count of non-fatal strangulation following a trial which concluded in October 2025.
Herbert will also be placed onto the sex offenders register and must comply with conditions of this when ultimately released from custody.
The court heard how Herbert had been in an intimate relationship with the victim for several years, having first met her in 2017 after accidentally crashing into her car.
On 14 March 2025, police were contacted by a friend of the victim who made a crime report on her behalf after becoming aware of Herbert’s actions.
It was reported that he had been physically, sexually and mentally abusive to her and had assaulted her numerous times during the course of their relationship causing bruising to her body. As well as this it was also reported that Herbert had forced himself onto the victim and made her have non-consensual sex with him.
Herbert was arrested the following day (15 March 2025) and the victim took part in a video interview during which she detailed five different instances when she had been physically and sexually abused by him.
It was reported that Herbert had punched the victim in the face one evening in January 2022 after becoming violent whilst drunk. It is believed that he had broken the woman’s nose however she retracted her statement to police after Herbert pressured her into doing so.
In December 2024 it was reported that Herbert had assaulted the woman by grabbing her hair and dragging her across the house before trying to throw her outside. During this incident Herbert took her mobile phone and smashed it damaging it and the assault caused bruising to the woman’s legs and knees.
The victim then recounted an incident from 14 February 2025 stating she and Herbert had stayed at a hotel in London. Herbert had paid for the hotel room and so she believed he would expect sex.
Once at the hotel Herbert told the woman that they couldn’t go for dinner or drinks until they had sex and when she expressed wishes against this Herbert sexually and physically assaulted her. He punched her three times and strangled her making her think she was going to die.
Around a week later Herbert assaulted the woman following an argument and told her to “think of herself as lucky”.
The last incident to be recalled took place in March 2025. The woman described how she had met up with Herbert and that he had bought a large amount of sex toys which he wanted to use. Herbert ignored the victim’s wishes and once again made her have non-consensual sex with him.
During conversations with police the woman said that Herbert would body shame her appearance and that he had hit her multiple times, previously spat in her face and strangled her. This caused the woman to be frightened of Herbert and in fear that he would hurt her more seriously.
She stated that there had been around 50 instances of assaults and threats throughout their relationship.
As part of the investigation Herbert’s partner provided a Victim Impact Statement which explained the impact of Herbert’s actions.
She said: “You broke me, mentally, emotionally, physically and sexually. You knew this but continued to chip away anyway. You broke my peace of mind and my spirit with your systematic humiliations.
“Your belittling, your devaluing of me, your constant bullying and continuous mocking of me from how I looked, right down to what I wore and to the car I drove, nothing that I ever did or chose seemed to be good enough.
“Your body shaming of me went way above my comprehension and has left lasting damage to my confidence. You seemed to get some perverse kick and enjoyment from seeing my pain and sadness.
“You intimidated me, mocked me and even laughed in my face when you could see the effect your words were having. I felt like I was a game or a plaything to you and just to take your frustrations out on.
“I felt uncomfortable with your demands. You made me feel ugly and old. You took away my self-esteem and confidence. Made me feel stupid, worthless, not fit for purpose, irrelevant. I lost credibility. I felt insignificant. And it just dehumanized me.”
At the conclusion of sentencing, Acting Detective Sergeant Jonathan Stokes from the Criminal Investigation Department said: “I thank the victim for having the strength to initially come forward and report the abuse she was suffering and for then going through the entire judicial process.
“It takes a lot of strength and courage to put yourself under this level of scrutiny, especially when you have experienced prolonged abuse over a number of years.
“It’s clear that Herbert subjected her to a variety of offences over a number of years and she has been incredibly brave in being willing to stand in court and give evidence of his violent actions against her.
“Crimes such as these often happen behind closed doors between partners and without the victim being willing to go through all the different stages and processes, some of which couldn’t have been pleasant, we would not have known about the true level of Herbert’s offending against her.
“Herbert’s crimes have had a long lasting impact on the victim and she is still processing how to move forward as clearly articulated in her impactful personal statement.
“Hopefully now that he has been sentenced for the offences he committed against her, she can start to focus on the future and starting her life free from abuse and fear.”
