A 31-year-old mother from Old Colwyn, North Wales, requires round-the-clock care for a devastating brain injury after she was found hanging at her home in April. Her family has spoken publicly about the impact of the abuse she suffered, as her former partner was sentenced for coercive and controlling behaviour.
Natasha Farah, known as Tasha, was found by her then-partner John Gizzi. While there was no evidence Gizzi was directly responsible for her injuries, he was found culpable for what a judge described as the "worst case" of domestic and psychological violence he had ever witnessed.
Sentencing at Mold Crown Court
His Honour Simon Mills sentenced the 55-year-old from St Asaph to four years in prison for coercive and controlling behaviour. He additionally handed Gizzi a further 11 months behind bars for the intentional strangulation of Natasha's sister, Samantha.
During an emotionally charged hearing at Mold Crown Court, Natasha's parents, Denise and Sammire Farah, and her brother Joseph described the devastating impact of Gizzi's actions on both Natasha and the wider family.
Family's testimony
Denise criticised Gizzi for only appearing in court via videolink from prison. She told the court in a statement how the family have been "robbed of something so very special". She said: "She 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'."
Denise addressed Gizzi directly in court: "My grandson Roman is nine and he has to live with the fact Natasha met the 'smiling, devil monster that you are'." She added: "Now sadly I've seen my grandson have severe night terrors - a direct pain to the soul. To see him visit his mum (in hospital), (who is) not talking, not moving. All he wants is his mum to hug him and say his name. It's something he should not have to go through."
Denise said she cannot fathom what Natasha endures, but added: "She does give me the strength to be here today. She gives me strength." She told Gizzi that Tasha is Samantha's soulmate but Samantha was "strangled by you, the monster".
Brother's statement
Denise's sons, Joseph and Jacob, had also been devastated by the suffering their sister has experienced. She said: "I've seen my boys cry like babies - grown men! We all live with the grief of how Tasha was before. They are all precious memories. I would give anything to be able to go back to (how we were)."
Their lives have been transformed by this "catastrophic" ordeal which has triggered "waves of grief and waves of anger". Denise sobbed as she vowed to fight for justice for Tasha: "I feel this should never have happened. This is brutal. This was not our story. I will always keep fighting and hoping. I will never give up."
Joseph read a statement to the court, saying Tasha smiles when they talk about Roman and that she is "still there". He added: "Everyday moments are shrouded in sadness and uncertainty." Roman is at an age when he should be "making memories with his mum" but he has been "robbed of a childhood", Joseph said. He added: "John Gizzi may get an end date (for his sentence). But there is no end date for the suffering my family has gone through."
Victim's sister speaks
Samantha, herself a victim of Gizzi's brutality, said simply: "Give me back my sister!" Samantha, who works on superyachts, was rammed by a car driven by Gizzi when she was with her sister. She told the hearing: "I've swum in the Atlantic, visited Colombian jungles and jumped out of a plane at 14,000ft (but) I've never experienced anything like that that night. He is a dangerous monster."
Tasha's dad Sammire Farah delivered his own statement to the hushed courtroom: "I can't describe the pain I feel about what this monster has done to my family. She is a kind (and) strong girl and has always been there for the underdog." He added: "Tasha is severely brain damaged - trapped in her own body. I see a sad desperately frightened little girl. She cries real tears but can never make a sound, and no-one can understand that except her family."
He continued: "We will always fight evil (but her son) has had his mother ripped away from him and we watch the night terrors that this monster - you, John - have caused."
A gathering of supporters stood on the steps of the courthouse to rally behind the family and demand an end to domestic violence against women.
Call for tougher sentencing
Denise believes Gizzi's sentence was far too lenient: "He'll actually do two and a half years. It's shocking. This is not justice. This doesn't give anyone hope." She told North Wales Live: "I want a Tasha's Law. If you end up doing this (committing domestic abuse) you should face a long, long stretch in prison."
Detective Constable Rebecca Donaghy, of North Wales Police, said: "Violence against women and girls, including domestic abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour, remains an absolute priority for North Wales Police." She added: "We are committed to identifying perpetrators, protecting victims and pursuing offenders through the criminal justice system. Anyone who chooses to perpetrate violence or abuse against women and girls should be in no doubt that the officers will pursue them and that we will seek to ensure they are dealt with to the fullest extent of the law."
