A MAN has been sent to prison for three years after he imprisoned a woman inside her own home for a day, bent and broke her thumb, pinned her against a door and brandished a shard of glass telling her he would “slash” her neck.
Ricardo Figueira (34) also changed his WhatsApp profile photo to an indecent picture of the victim and asked her: “Do you want to look at my WhatsApp picture?”.
The Royal Court heard that after seeing this image, “which she didn’t know he had”, the woman felt like her “whole world fell apart”.
Crown Advocate Lauren Taylor, prosecuting, said that Figueira also threatened the woman with a shard of glass – made when he kicked in a window in her home – and told her: “I will slash your neck.”
Advocate Taylor told the court that the woman was “genuinely scared that he actually would hurt her”.
And the court heard that after the woman’s thumb was broken, despite being in “immense” pain, the victim felt that she had to “pretend” it wasn’t causing her any discomfort, telling colleagues and hospital staff it was due to a bike accident.
During the false imprisonment, when the woman tried to leave, Figueira cornered her in the dining room and responded “I don’t f*****g care” when she repeatedly asked to leave. And when she asked to go to the toilet he followed her to the bathroom and waited outside. Figueira eventually broke down crying and let the victim go following the ordeal.
In another incident, Figueira grabbed the woman by her throat and pinned her against a door, pressing her head against a hook and saying: “Go on, cry then.”
Figueira admitted three charges of grave and criminal assault, one of false imprisonment and misuse of a mobile phone.
Advocate Taylor said he was deemed to be at medium risk of reconviction and recommended that he should serve three years in prison.
Advocate Chris Baglin, defending, argued that his client could be dealt with by a community service order.
He said Figueira felt “remorse and abhorrence for what happened” and added: “He does not excuse his violence.”
He also said that he had voluntarily sought therapy to deal with his behaviour.
But the Bailiff, Sir Timothy Le Cocq, said the Jurats had decided that the offences merited a prison sentence, telling the court: “They are too serious for non-custodial disposal.”
Figueira was also banned from contact with the woman for five years.
Jurats Ronge and Hughes were sitting.
