Jealous abuser who tried to throttle girlfriend jailed for 23 months

2023-03-08

‘No one deserves to be treated like this’: Ex-girlfriend of jealous abuser, 25, who tried to throttle her in the street and threatened to burn down his own sister’s house reveals her ordeal – as he is jailed for 23 months

Isabella Fernandez was with Philip Lennox for a year but they split after he tried to strangle her and batter her around the head in an argument as she babysat
Toxic affair left the young woman with PTSD, social anxiety and low self esteem

The ex-girlfriend who suffered torrid abuse at the hands of her jealous ex has revealed her ordeal after he was jailed for 23 months for beating and strangling her.

Isabella Fernandez was in a relationship with Philip Lennox, 25, for a year – but they bitterly split after he tried to throttle her during one row and battered her around the head in another argument while she was babysitting his sister’s two-year-old child.

During their toxic affair Lennox, from Shaw, near Oldham, Greater Manchester, wrongly accused Miss Fernandez of cheating on him and even warned he would burn down the home of his own sister, Jade Lennox, if the victim called police.

It all came to a head in October 2022 when Lennox dragged Miss Fernandez by her hair down the high street in Shaw’s town centre and strangling her.

Miss Fernandez has since had to undergo counselling for PTSD due to the relationship and now suffers from social anxiety and lower self esteem.

Isabella Fernandez (pictured), from Shaw, near Oldham, Greater Manchester, the ex-girlfriend who suffered torrid abuse at the hands of her jealous ex Philip Lennox, has revealed her ordeal after he was jailed for 23 months for beating and strangling her

Isabella was in a relationship with Philip, 25, (pictured) for a year – but they bitterly split after he tried to throttle her during one row and battered her around the head in another argument while she was babysitting his sister’s two-year-old child

This week, Lennox was jailed for 23 months after he was convicted of non-fatal strangulation, assault by beating, assaulting occasioning actual bodily harm and threats to damage property. He denied wrongdoing.

In a post on Facebook, Miss Fernandez said: ‘I did the bravest thing that I never thought I would be able to do and I went to court to make sure Philip Lennox got what he deserved and I also want to put it out there so that’s it is known of what he has done to me and others in the past as no one deserves to be treated like this.’

Lennox’s own sister Jade said: ‘I would like to say that Phil physically targets women, because he is a bully.’

The court heard Lennox and Miss Fernandez had been in a relationship ‘mired by incidents of violence.’

David Farley, prosecuting, said: ‘On October 1, 2022, when Miss Fernandez met the defendant in Shaw town centre around 6pm at the Pineapple Pub.

‘They left about 8.30pm on the way back he began shouting at her, calling her a slag. She was expecting it to develop into violence and asked if she could call a taxi home.

‘He grabbed her by her hair and dragged her up Alston Avenue. She began to scream, to try and attract the attention of people nearby. The defendant told her to stop or the police would come. She managed to break free and ran off.

‘She got as far as traffic flights in Salts Street and stopped there to call a taxi but the defendant caught up with her. He took hold of her throat and began to squeeze. It was hard enough to prevent her from breathing.’

Mr Farley told of how Lennox took his partner’s phone and sat on her to prevent her from getting the attention of a passing police car.

‘She did manage to get away and went to Jade Lennox’s house. The whole incident lasted about half an hour.

Lennox wrongly accused Miss Fernandez of cheating on him, and in October 2022 it came to a head when he dragged her by her hair down the high street and strangled her, as he warned that he would burn down the home of his own sister, Jade Lennox, if the victim called police

‘Jade Lennox is the defendant’s sister. Miss Fernandez ran into the address. Police were called and attended at Jade’s house. The defendant still had Miss Fernandez’s phone. He called Jade.

‘He threatened to damage and set fire to her house if police were called. Police heard those threats. The defendant was interviewed on October 19. He opted to make no comment. He gave a prepared statement denying matters.’

Mr Farley also told of an earlier incident the previous March after Lennox was thrown out of Bee Knees nightclub in Oldham, Greater Manchester.

‘Miss Fernandez was babysitting for Jade Lennox’s child,’ he said. ‘The defendant had been calling her on a withheld number before running through the door.

‘He was shouting at her while the two-year-old child was on her knee. He accused her of seeing other men.

‘He struck her twice to the head with such force that her head hit a wall.

‘In his basis of plea, which is accepted by the Crown, he said “I assaulted Isabella. I hit her twice to the head causing her head to bang on the wall.”

‘Jade Lennox says that she is scared about what her brother could do. She has witnessed violence from him before whilst subject to threats.

‘Miss Fernandez has received counselling for PTSD due to the relationship. She suffers from social anxiety and now avoids Shaw Town centre.

‘She struggles to sleep, she has lower self-esteem. The relationship has affected her relationship with her parents whom she was close to.’

Lennox had previous convictions for possession of drugs, excess alcohol, and possession of weapons.

He was given a suspended prison sentence of 16 weeks for wounding in 2019 and twice given 14 days in prison for breaching a domestic violence protection order in 2021 and 2022.

He was also jailed for 12 weeks in August of last year for battery.

In mitigation, his lawyer Mark Fireman said: ‘A Valentines card was sent to him by the complainant while he was in custody, only a matter of weeks ago.

‘Photos have been received earlier and to some extent this undermines what the complainant says about what she said in her victim statement.

‘She has maintained contact with him and not the other way around. And she has sent affectionate letters and affectionate photos to him.’

Mr Fireman said a presentence report said that Lennox is ‘perhaps emotionally immature’, prone to jealousy and has low self-esteem, while having an inability to control himself which is aggravated when he has taken drink.

‘That is not an excuse and drinking is seen as a statutory aggravating factor,’ Mr Fireman said. ‘He is still a relatively young man. He has a lot of work to do to ensure relationships in the future don’t follow the same pattern.

Lennox had previous convictions for possession of drugs, excess alcohol, and possession of weapons. He was given 14 days in prison for breaching a domestic violence protection order in 2021 and 2022. He was also jailed for 12 weeks in August of last year for battery

‘He has work to try and get to the root of the problem, so that he finds himself in a position where a relationship can exist without feelings of jealousy and without resorting to physical violence against his partner.’

The court heard that he had been in custody for just over six months.

Mr Fireman said the incidents were brief and did not cause significant injury. The section 47 assault, he said, ‘did not place him in his best light, especially when a child was present’.

Sentencing the judge Mr Recorder Michael Blakey also imposed a restraining order preventing him from approaching or contacting either Isabella Fernandez or Jade Lennox for five years.

‘You have shown a pattern of aggression and violence towards women you come across – even your own sister.’

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