Adam Gelhardt, 27, of Netherton, has been sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison at Liverpool Crown Court. He admitted two counts of controlling and coercive behaviour, assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), and breaching an existing suspended sentence. He was also given 15-year restraining orders prohibiting contact with his victims.
Pattern of abuse against three partners
Gelhardt subjected three former partners to campaigns of "love bombing" and affection before escalating into violence, manipulation, and intimidation. One woman was subjected to extreme violence while seven weeks pregnant, including being dragged along concrete, kicked, and stamped on in the face, head, and stomach. She later chose to undergo a surgical abortion out of fear for their safety and was told by police she was fortunate to have survived.
Another woman said he had portrayed himself as living a glamorous, "gangster" lifestyle in Dubai, taking her on a trip within weeks of meeting before making her foot the £1,200 bill for hotels, meals and clothes.
Victims describe control and intimidation
The two victims told the ECHO that Gelhardt initially presented himself as charming, charismatic and affectionate, with one saying he had moved into her home within just three weeks of them meeting.
One of the women said: "The mental torture he would put me through was worse than the violence. He made my life a living hell." The other 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."
Judge and victims call for awareness
The Judge 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."
The two women bonded through their shared ordeal and urged others to recognise the early red flags of coercive control—such as isolation and love bombing—and to trust their instincts and leave at the first sign of aggression.
