A serial domestic abuser has been jailed for five-and-a-half years after subjecting three former partners to a campaign of violence, threats and coercive control. Adam Gelhardt, 27, pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court to two counts of controlling and coercive behaviour, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and breaching a suspended sentence.
The court heard on Tuesday (November 3) how his relationships with three women deteriorated into drug-fuelled violence, intimidation and terror. Following his sentencing, two of the women have spoken out about the physical and psychological abuse they say they suffered in private, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Love bombing turned to control
Both women told of how Gelhardt initially showered them with affection, gifts and promises before becoming progressively more controlling, jealous and aggressive. One woman stated he had presented himself as living a glamorous, "gangster" lifestyle in Dubai, whisking her away on a trip within weeks of their first meeting - before forcing her to cover the £1,200 cost for hotels, meals and clothes.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "He had this high-life, fake gangster lifestyle in Dubai that he would portray to suck other girls in. He took me to Dubai within a couple of weeks of knowing me and made me pay for hotels and restaurants and made me buy him clothes there. But then he used it against me, saying he had taken me on the holiday of a lifetime."
Another victim stated Gelhardt regularly drained her bank account, squandering money on gambling and drugs. On one occasion, she revealed he accessed money she had been putting aside for their six-month-old baby's Christmas presents and gambled it all.
She said: "He went on my bank account one night, where I was keeping my little boy's Christmas money. He emptied the bank account and gambled all the money away, knowing it was his child's Christmas money. He just expected me to find the money myself, knowing I couldn't go to work because I had a six-month-old baby, and because I was physically ill and living off £300 a month."
Physical and psychological impact
Both women reported developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of what they experienced. One now requires a wheelchair, as she claims her physical condition worsened so drastically during the relationship that her body has become too frail to walk long distances.
The women, who will remain anonymous, have also developed an unexpected friendship through their shared ordeals, supporting one another in recognising that the abuse they suffered was not their responsibility. They described this friendship as "the only silver lining" from such a terrible experience.
On the day Gelhardt received his sentence, one said: "It was emotional, to say the least. We expected him to get a lot less. We both broke down in tears. It was a feeling of absolute relief, like a weight was lifted off our shoulders. Two years of feeling like a shaken-up Lucozade bottle and then someone let the lid off. It feels surreal that we've finally done this."
Exploiting vulnerability
Both women described how Gelhardt initially came across as charming, charismatic and affectionate, with one revealing he had moved into her home within just three weeks of their first meeting. She explained that having lost her mother during childhood, she believed Gelhardt had deliberately exploited that vulnerability to gain her trust.
She said: "He completely and utterly love bombed us. He was very charismatic and charming and he knew how to say the right words. I lost my mum when I was a child and I think he used that vulnerability to draw me in. He'd say things like, 'I wish I could have met your mum' or 'do you think your mum would like me?' He'd also offer to do things like lay flowers for my mum in the park. Things like that would immediately pull on my heartstrings because I was very close with my mum."
However, she said his demeanour changed dramatically once she had become emotionally invested in the relationship. "He would always find a way to accuse me of something," she said. "He would gaslight me to the point I'd start questioning my own mind. After he became violent, I was constantly chasing the person I first met. I was so sucked in by him at the start that I thought everything he was doing was my fault. I was constantly telling myself it was me who had made him so miserable. I was constantly in fight or flight. I wasn't living any more, I was in survival mode constantly. You can't sleep any more, because what if he kicks you in the middle of the night? I'd make him a meal and he'd say, 'watch this', chew it with his mouth wide open and spit it at me. The mental torture he would put me through was worse than the violence. He made my life a living hell."
Assault during pregnancy
The woman revealed the breaking point came during a horrific assault on July 12, after she had discovered she was pregnant with his child. Gelhardt dragged her across a concrete pavement before kicking and stamping on her stomach and attacking her head and face, before flagging down passing vehicles to seek help for himself. As previously heard at Liverpool Crown Court, she was seven weeks pregnant at the time.
She managed to flee to a nearby garage for help before being taken to a police station. The court was told she subsequently underwent a surgical abortion at 18 weeks, having feared for her own safety and that of her unborn child should she continue with the pregnancy.
Recalling the assault, she told the ECHO: "I was nearly dead. The policeman said if he'd stamped on my neck with the same force he used on my head and stomach, I'd be dead. I'd had a beating a number of times, but nothing like that. I was convinced I was going to die that night. I'm not embarrassed any more. I just want everyone to know what he is."
Threats and hospital admissions
A second woman, who was involved with Gelhardt for approximately two years, recounted a similarly troubling cycle of affection turning into control and intimidation. She explained that he initially showered her with flowers and gifts, insisting she was different from anyone he'd previously known. "He played on the fact that he had a bad childhood, that he wasn't loved," she said. "For the first few months, he seemed supportive and like he really loved me. Then he completely changed."
She recalled being falsely accused of cheating, even while seriously unwell in hospital and physically unable to communicate. She said: "I would be in a hospital bed, unable to speak, and he would still be accusing me of cheating on him. It could have been with anyone. Hospital porters, cleaners, doctors. I was sleeping with them in Adam's eyes."
She also described an incident where he forced her to leave her workplace so he could monitor her movements and confirm she wasn't being unfaithful. This behaviour persisted, ultimately resulting in her losing her employment before she learnt she was expecting a child. Her financial situation worsened considerably.
The woman alleged Gelhardt consistently squandered her money on gambling and drugs. She said: "When I fell pregnant, he sold me this big dream that he was going to change, we were going to be a family. That same night, he wanted to go for a meal. I told him I couldn't afford to pay for the whole meal, and it was WWIII. There was an occasion when the baby was about five months old. Adam had stayed up all night drinking and taking drugs. He rang me in the morning and asked if he could look after the baby. When I said no, that's when he started with the threats."
The court was told how, in one message, Gelhardt branded her a "filthy, dirty c***" before adding "I'm gonna kill you, I promise you now". He also messaged her: "I swear to f***ing God yeno, if I find out you're up to something, I'll rip your head off. I couldn't give two f***s about your kid."
Gelhardt was also reported to have phoned her while she was "very unwell" in hospital in February 2025 and stated that he was "either going to kill her father or himself", having claimed to be carrying a knife at the time. This complainant was reported to have been admitted to hospital a total of 11 times throughout their relationship due to a stress related condition, which had never previously necessitated inpatient treatment.
Warning signs and sentencing
Both women now wish to use what happened to them to warn others about the signs of coercive and controlling behaviour. They explained the early warning signs were not always clear, especially when they were coupled with affection, gifts and promises.
One said the relentless questioning and accusations started to make her feel guilty for simply having a life beyond the relationship. She said: "It's the love bombing. When they start to ask questions like, 'why did you take so long to answer the phone? Do you not want to talk to me?' When they get into a mood because you tell them you've got plans with your friends, so you cancel your plans and have a movie night. And before you know it, every night is a movie night because you're not allowed to leave the house."
The second woman encouraged anyone experiencing similar behaviour to trust their instincts. She said: "It's the empty accusations when you know you haven't done anything. Trust your gut. If they're accusing you of something you know you haven't done, gaslighting you into believing you have, you need to get out because that is projection. The first time he throws something at your head, leave. The first time he punches a wall, leave. Because one day it will be you."
Liverpool Crown Court heard how Gelhardt's relationships with three women deteriorated into what Judge Simon Medland KC described as "drug-fuelled and alcohol-fuelled violence, aggression and terrorising". The court was told how one previous partner endured repeated death threats, including threats directed at her father, while another was pulled by her hair, assaulted and attacked during pregnancy.
Gelhardt had also previously been convicted of assault by beating, making threats with a bladed article in a public place and criminal damage. He received an 18-month suspended prison sentence in October 2025 but went on to commit further offences, breaching the order.
Defending, Chris MacMaster told the court that Gelhardt had complicated mental health issues and had begun to recognise the problems underpinning his behaviour. He said his client had engaged with courses in prison and had been seeing a psychiatrist regularly.
Sentencing him to five-and-a-half years in prison, Judge Medland said: "I am struggling to recall offences of controlling and coercive behaviour of this type which are more serious than the ones which have unfolded before me today." Gelhardt was also handed restraining orders preventing him from contacting his victims for 15 years.
For the two women who have now come forward, the sentence marked the conclusion of a lengthy and distressing battle to have their experiences heard. One of the victims added: "I'd urge anyone in this situation to reach out to someone else going through something similar. If I hadn't have spoken to the other victim, I'd have felt completely alone. She made me feel normal, like I hadn't done anything wrong. She opened my eyes and made me see it wasn't me; it was his fault. And I'll be forever grateful for that."
