Former gangster John Gizzi has admitted attacking two women, pleading guilty to charges of coercive and controlling behaviour and intentional strangulation. Gizzi, 55, of Cwttir Lane, St Asaph, Denbighshire, entered the pleas at Mold Crown Court.
He had been scheduled to stand trial on five charges on Monday, but the jury was discharged for legal reasons. In a significant development, the defendant pleaded guilty to three charges.
Details of the offences
Gizzi admitted using coercive and controlling behaviour against Natasha Farah between March 1, 2025 and April 8, 2026. He also pleaded guilty to failing to disclose a mobile phone's PIN to police on April 27, 2026. He further admitted intentional strangulation against Natasha's sister, Samantha Farah, on April 3 this year.
Dressed in a light grey jumper and trousers in the glass-fronted dock, Gizzi acknowledged repeatedly assaulting Natasha, with whom he had been in an intimate relationship. The assaults occurred on multiple occasions, including in July and December last year, and on February 13, March 15 and in July of this year. One such assault took place inside a vehicle.
Control and abuse allegations
He is also alleged to have controlled what clothes she wore and subjected her to verbal abuse, including calling her a s**g and pursuing her in his car. He also made accusations of infidelity against her.
The presiding judge, His Honour Simon Mills, informed Gizzi that sentencing would take place on November 12. Judge Mills told Gizzi that he had already provided an indication of the likely prison term he faced, adding that a pre-sentence report was "very important".
Judge's remarks and next steps
Judge Mills stated: "I don't know what your ultimate sentence will be. It is very important for there to be a pre-sentence report in this case. I need to know what your attitude to what you have admitted is. I need to know how you might set about rehabilitating yourself in the future."
Gizzi gestured towards the judge as he departed the dock and made his way down to the cells ahead of his sentencing hearing next month. Gizzi was jailed for 11 years in 2011 for running a drugs gang.
