Controlling Bully Leaves Ex-Partner Paralysed After Brutal Neck Attack
A landscape gardener faces life imprisonment after being found guilty of severing his ex-partner's spinal cord when she attempted to end their relationship.
Robert Easom, 56, snapped the neck of Trudi Burgess, 57, during what was described as an 'uncontrollable rage' after the teacher bravely told him she was leaving.
Eight Years of Coercive Control
The horrific attack on February 17, 2025, represented the culmination of eight years of systematic abuse that Lancashire Police characterised as a 'relentless campaign of coercive and controlling behaviour'.
Ms Burgess, who taught French and Spanish at secondary school level, meticulously documented the abuse she suffered in the notes section of her mobile phone throughout their relationship from July 2017.
The recorded incidents included being forced to clean up spilled food, being pushed against furniture, dangerous driving intended to frighten her, and being headbutted. In one particularly disturbing episode in York, Easom dragged her around a bathroom while quoting a line from Rambo: 'Don't push or I'll give you a war.'
The Final Brutal Assault
When Ms Burgess finally gathered the courage to end the relationship, Easom's response was catastrophic. He pinned the mother-of-two face down on his bed and slammed his entire body weight onto her neck until it snapped.
Ms Burgess, speaking from her hospital bed in intensive care, described hearing her spine crack and her body gradually becoming numb immediately following the assault.
The attack left her tetraplegic and requiring round-the-clock care, with medical professionals confirming she will never walk again.
Cycle of Abuse and False Remorse
DC Bethanie Kirk from the Burnley Vulnerable Adults Team described Easom as 'a manipulative and controlling individual with a warped sense of entitlement and repulsive views towards women.'
Despite knowing she needed to leave, the victim had become trapped in what police called a 'cycle of abuse'. Whenever she attempted to leave previously, Easom would belittle her, saying she was 'useless' and couldn't cope without him.
Following violent episodes, Easom would typically beg her to stay and act remorseful, only to repeat the pattern of abuse. In 2021, he placed a sheet over her head and strangled her, later dismissing the attack by claiming he was 'just trying to teach her a lesson.'
Easom, who admitted two counts of assault and previously admitted engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour, told police after his arrest: 'I love Trudi more than life itself.'
The former Chipping resident, now of no fixed address, will be sentenced at Preston Crown Court on February 27, 2026.
DC Kirk commended Ms Burgess's 'incredible bravery' in coming forward and encouraged anyone in a relationship where 'something doesn't feel right' to contact police for appropriate action.
