Benjamin Sheppard – Runcorn

A violent and controlling domestic abuser has been jailed for four years after admitting a string of offences involving physical assaults, stalking, coercive behaviour and threatening a witness.

Benjamin Liam Sheppard pleaded guilty to five offences on September 24, 2026, and was handed a total custodial sentence of 48 months.

Sheppard, who works as a joiner and is living in Runcorn, with connections to Frodsham, Helsby and Chester, admitted controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship.

He also pleaded guilty to stalking involving fear of violence or serious alarm or distress, two counts of assault by beating and threatening a witness.

The convictions reveal a pattern of behaviour involving violence, control and intimidation.

His stalking was of the more serious form of the offence, involving conduct which caused fear of violence or serious alarm or distress.

The physical violence also left a lasting mark.

His victim suffered injuries which have since scarred, leaving a permanent physical reminder of what she endured.

Sheppard’s offending did not end with violence and controlling behaviour. He also admitted threatening a witness, adding further intimidation to an already serious catalogue of offending.

He has now been sentenced to four years behind bars.

Cases involving coercive control can extend far beyond individual assaults. Victims can find their movements, relationships and everyday decisions increasingly dominated by fear, threats and intimidation, with the effects continuing long after the abusive relationship itself has ended.

Children can also be deeply affected by domestic abuse in the home. They do not need to be physically assaulted themselves to experience harm from hearing threats, witnessing violence or seeing a parent living in fear.

Clare’s Law

Anyone worried about a current or former partner can make an application under the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, commonly known as Clare’s Law, which allows people to ask police whether a partner has a relevant history of domestic abuse.