Kettering bully strangled wife and forced her to bathe before feeding him

A controlling bully forced his wife to feed him and repeatedly assaulted her at their Kettering home in a year-long reign of abuse.

Jagjit Randhawa, 40, even made her bathe before she gave him food and got her to make things again if he found any faults.

Over the course of a year he slapped her, scratched her, kicked her and strangled her before his wife bravely told the police what happened.

Yesterday (Tuesday) he was told he was likely to be sent to prison - but he will not find out his fate for six weeks so a report about his mental health can be prepared.

Northampton Crown Court heard Randhawa appeared to develop an eating disorder and demanded that his wife, who he is now separated from, give him food and booze.

Over the course of about 13 months - between February 2020 and March 2021 - he routinely assaulted her and forced her to carry out certain activities to satisfy his demands.

Thomas Welshman, prosecuting, said Randhawa subjected her to a "prolonged period of violent, bullying behaviour by an increasingly paranoid man".

He slapped her in the face, kicked her in the stomach and legs and scratched her neck and headbutted her.

He also pulled her hair, was verbally abusive, forced her to bathe before she fed him and made her wash his hands frequently.

Mr Welshman said: "Towards the end the violence occurred on practically a daily basis."

Randhawa, who showed little emotion in the dock, later admitted a charge of coercive or controlling behaviour as well as two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm, relating to two incidents this year.

On one occasion in February, when he was drunk, he scratched his wife's face, punched her and strangled her.

Mr Welshman said: "She said she had never felt so scared in her life."

Then, in March, he repeatedly called her a bad wife and complained that she was not feeding him or giving him alcohol before hitting her, leaving her with "significant" bruising.

Mr Welshman added: "If he found any fault with what she did she would have to make things again."

In a victim impact statement Randhawa's victim said he was emotionally manipulative and that she had sought counselling.

Mitigating, Liam Muir said Randhawa had no previous convictions and that being housebound during the Covid restrictions exacerbated his issues, resulting in a "self-perpetuating negative circle".

He said: "He is effectively being pandered to and when he is being pandered to he is not forced to sort out his problems."

The court heard Randhawa's abuse was in the highest category of coercive or controlling behaviour offending, with a range of between one and four years in prison.

Recorder William Davis said Randhawa's punishment was likely to be above two years and therefore could not be suspended - but said he needed to know more about his mental health at the time which would be a mitigating factor to take into account.

He adjourned the case until November 22 so a mental health report could be completed.

He said: "This is an extremely serious matter and an immediate sentence of imprisonment is very likely. But I need to know more about him."

Randhawa, who has since moved to Balfour Road in Southall, London, was granted conditional bail.

A restraining order was made banning him from contacting his ex-wife or going within 100 yards of the Kettering street where his victim lives.