Jealous and possessive husband jailed after dragging wife from taxi and leaving her bruised in the street
A jealous and possessive man was jailed for two years after dragging his wife from a taxi, grabbing her around the neck and throwing her to the ground following a night out.
Jason Ranford, a former nightclub manager, attacked his wife, Paula Schrock Ranford, after becoming enraged when he saw her wearing another man’s gilet during an evening at Kioki nightclub in Swindon’s Old Town.
Swindon Crown Court heard the couple had been drinking with friends on May 1 when Ranford’s behaviour became increasingly aggressive.
He verbally abused his wife, calling her degrading names, before the violence continued after they left the nightclub.
Mrs Schrock Ranford later told her sister that Ranford had pulled her from a taxi, grabbed her around the neck and thrown her onto the floor.
She was left with significant bruising around her neck and a black eye.
Ranford later admitted what he had done in text messages to his wife, acknowledging that he had dragged and pulled her from the taxi and left her injured in the street before apologising.
Mrs Schrock Ranford replied:
“What you’ve done to me is truly horrific.”
But despite apologising, Ranford then attempted to blame his wife for his behaviour, accusing her of flirting and again insulting her.
Ranford had already pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) when he appeared for sentencing.
At the time of the attack, he was also on licence from prison following a serious assault on a man in a bar.
Judge Keith Cutler CBE described Ranford as “very possessive” and said the bruising around his wife’s neck was significant. However, the judge accepted that Ranford had not throttled or strangled her, despite grabbing her around the neck.
The court was also told that Mrs Schrock Ranford did not support the prosecution and had not provided a statement. She wanted the marriage to continue and hoped they could rebuild their relationship.
His defence said Ranford had “lost his temper” and accepted that he had significant problems with alcohol, telling the court that once he began drinking, he struggled to stop.
It was also said to be his first conviction for domestic violence.
But the seriousness of the assault, together with his existing criminal history and the fact he was on licence at the time, resulted in an immediate prison sentence.
Ranford was jailed for two years.
Sentencing him, Judge Cutler said the violence had been “fuelled by drink” and told Ranford he suffered from feelings of “possessive jealousy.”
Clare’s Law: If you’re concerned about a partner or former partner and want to know whether they have a history of domestic abuse, you can make a request to police under the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme.