A man described as “the devil in disguise” has been jailed for a campaign of abuse against his partner and her sister, in a case a judge called “one of the worst cases of coercive control that can be contemplated”.
John Gizzi, 55, of Cwttir Lane, St Asaph, was sentenced at Mold Crown Court on Thursday to four years in prison for coercive and controlling behaviour towards Natasha Farah, known as Tasha. He was given a further 11 months for the intentional strangulation of her sister Samantha.
Abuse included car ramming and pool push
Gizzi, known as Rhyl's “Mr Big”, told Tasha to “die and do us all a favour”, rammed her car and threatened her with a dumbbell. He also pushed her into a hotel swimming pool and tossed her clothes onto a roof when he found her at a train station.
Tasha was later found hanged by Gizzi in April this year. She suffered brain damage and now needs round the clock hospital care. There is no evidence that Gizzi was directly responsible for the injuries she sustained, but he was responsible for the “worst case” of domestic and psychological violence that a judge had ever seen.
Family speaks of 'extreme nightmares'
The Farah family branded Gizzi a “monster” and “the devil in disguise”. Tasha's mum Denise Farah read a statement to the court detailing the “devastating impact” of his actions on the family.
She said: “It is the stuff of extreme nightmares. All our precious lives will never, ever be the same again. There has been pain, grief, anger, torture and intense heartache for my beautiful daughter Natasha. We as a family have been robbed of something so very special.”
Denise added: “Natasha is the kindest soul in the world. She loves Roman, her only boy. She gave him a grounding in life. It was beautiful to watch their bond. He adores her. He said: ‘My mum is perfect’.”
She described visiting the hospital: “To go for seven months to hospital and be told by doctors your daughter is brain damaged.... (My) beautiful, vibrant daughter, to see the tubes and knowing you can’t do anything as a mother is pure hell. After being told about brain damage I wanted to smash that room. I wailed in the corridor.”
Denise also spoke of Samantha: “My other daughter Samantha was rammed by Gizzi’s four by four (car). She is a shell of herself. She’s nervous, anxious and not wanting to go out. Her relationship broke down.”
Son's love of Liverpool FC
The ECHO previously shared a GoFundMe appeal set up to raise money for Tasha after she was found hanged. Speaking to the ECHO in April, Denise explained how Tasha's son Roman loves football and loves Liverpool FC. After being taken to Anfield by his mum, Roman told her it was the “best day of his life”.
The family hoped to get Roman to Anfield to be a team mascot. Denise said: “My grandson is obsessed with football, he's quite good himself, he plays for The Falcons in North Wales. He loves Mo Salah too. With everything going on with his mum we just hoped we could do something nice to put a smile on his face and take his mind off it. He is going through hell and we'd love some sunshine in this very, very dark time, a bit of light to see him happy.”
Court details and sentence
Elen Owen, prosecuting, listed abusive incidents between Gizzi and Tasha and her sister Samantha. In one incident, at Colwyn Bay Football Club, Gizzi turned up in a Land Rover Discovery. Gizzi, who would often lend expensive cars to Tasha, tore off a rear view mirror of the Mercedes she was driving then punched Tasha who was still inside the car.
Duncan Bould, defending, said his client “has expressed regret and accepted responsibility for his violent behaviour and the harm he caused in the relationship”.
Judge Simon Mills said Gizzi has a “troubling history”. Alongside the main sentence, he gave Gizzi a four-month, concurrent jail term for failing to disclose a mobile phone PIN. He was made the subject of a restraining order and a domestic abuse protection order, both for 15 years.
