Godalming man jailed for years of domestic abuse

A Godalming man has been jailed for more than seven years after subjecting a woman to years of domestic abuse.

Ernie Jones, 29, of Godalming, was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court to seven years and two months in prison. He was also handed a restraining order until further notice.

He had pleaded guilty to two counts of controlling and coercive behaviour, actual bodily harm and stalking involving fear of violence.

Police were called to an address on May 20, 2025, where a woman reported eight years of physical and psychological abuse.

Between January 1, 2017, and June 11, 2025, Jones subjected the victim to repeated controlling and coercive behaviour, which had a serious effect on her. During that time, she was assaulted on multiple occasions.

The court heard Jones punched and kicked the victim in the face, stamped on her head, threatened her with a knife and damaged her property, including her phone. He also subjected her to verbal abuse, prevented her from seeing her children and threatened to take them away or report her to social services.

On February 23, 2025, Jones assaulted the victim while driving her car. She was in the passenger seat and two young children were in the back.

After a disagreement about brambles damaging the vehicle, Jones began beating her while the car was stationary at traffic lights, causing injuries amounting to actual bodily harm.

Jones was arrested on Thursday, May 21, 2025, and released on conditional bail. Between May 19 and June 10, he breached those conditions on several occasions through repeated unwanted contact, leading to a stalking charge.

His behaviour during that period included frequent communication, turning up unannounced at the family home, contacting relatives and making threats, causing the victim serious distress.

In a statement, the survivor said: “For eight years, I lived under Ernie's control and abuse. This was not a misunderstanding. It was not a handful of isolated incidents. It was a deliberate and repeated pattern of behaviour, choices he made, that slowly and systematically stripped away my independence, my confidence, and my sense of who I was.

“I lived in constant fear. Fear of his moods, fear of his reactions, fear of saying the wrong word or making the wrong decision. I was always walking on eggshells.

“Over time, I stopped feeling like a person in my own right. I felt like I existed only to serve Ernie, to meet his needs before my own, to keep him calm, to prevent his anger. I felt like a slave in my own life, constantly catering to my partner out of fear of what would happen if I did not. I felt worthless and degraded.

“The house we lived in was never truly my home. Instead of feeling safe and settled, I felt like a guest in a place where I had no real security or control. Home should be somewhere you feel safe, protected, and valued. Instead, I felt small, unwelcome, and constantly on edge of when I would next get thrown out.

“One of the deepest pains I carry is the impact this has had on my children. They saw the fear in me. They saw my distress. They saw me withdraw emotionally because I was trying to survive. As their mother, that breaks my heart.

“This abuse has changed me forever. It has changed my children forever and our lives will never be the same.

“Since leaving the relationship, and rebuilding our lives, I have had to create stability for my children while still healing myself and trying to navigate who I am as an individual. It has been exhausting and frightening at times, but I am determined that their future will be different from our past. I am working every day to show them that was not love, that control is not care, and that no one has the right to manipulate another person.

“I am determined to heal, rebuild and move forward. But the reality is that the impact of all these years will never fully leave me.

“I am truly grateful for the support and dedication shown throughout this case. The efforts of both the police and the outreach team have made a meaningful difference, they have saved me. I am especially thankful for my allocated outreach worker and DA caseworker whose care, commitment, and support have meant so much every step of the way, I don’t know what I would have done without them.”

Detective Constable Emily Heath, who led the investigation, said: “The survivor has shown tremendous courage in reporting the abuse and supporting the investigation throughout, despite experiencing abusive, violent and intimidating behaviour.

“No one should be treated this way in a relationship. I commend her bravery in coming forward and hope she can now begin to rebuild her life after this traumatic experience.

“I would also like to recognise the vital support provided to the victim by our domestic abuse caseworker and partner outreach services, whose professionalism, care and practical assistance have helped ensure she has been supported throughout and provided excellent care and advice in navigating a way to re-start her life.”

Police said they continue to work with local outreach partners to support victims of domestic abuse and urged anyone concerned about their own or someone else’s safety to seek help.