A 55-year-old man has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for what a judge described as one of the most disturbing cases of coercive control ever to come before a British court, a case that has left a young woman with severe brain damage and her family demanding tougher sentences for domestic abusers.
A Campaign for Justice
John Gizzi, of St Asaph in Denbighshire, Wales, received a term of four years and 11 months at Mold Crown Court after admitting to coercive and controlling behaviour against his partner, Natasha Farah, 32, and to the intentional strangulation of her sister. The courtroom erupted with cries of "scumbag" and "rot in hell" from the public gallery as the sentence was handed down, with some supporters shouting that the punishment was far too lenient before a court usher restored order.
Farah's mother, Denise, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Justice for Natasha," delivered a lengthy and emotional victim impact statement in which she described her daughter as "the most beautiful, funniest, kindest soul in the world" and branded Gizzi a "smiling devil monster." She spoke of the "pain, grief, anger, and torture" he had inflicted on their family and vowed to campaign in her daughter's name for longer sentences in cases involving coercive and controlling behaviour, calling violence against women and girls an "epidemic."
Years of Torment Revealed
The full scale of Gizzi's abuse only came to light after Farah was discovered at her flat in Rhos on Sea on 7 April, having attempted suicide and suffering severe brain damage. Gizzi himself called the emergency services, and prosecutors made clear it was not the Crown's case that he was directly responsible for her condition. However, the investigation that followed uncovered a harrowing pattern of physical and verbal violence stretching from March 2025 to April 2026.
Judge Mills told the court that Farah had frequently been seen with bruises and was once attacked by Gizzi with a dumbbell. He described how Gizzi repeatedly accused her of sleeping with other men and assaulted her in front of other people, including her own child, on occasions such as Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. "She would plead with you to desist," the judge said, noting that Gizzi had used "dreadful misogynistic language" as part of a deliberate process of humiliation aimed at destroying her self-worth.
Prosecutor Elen Owen detailed a long list of attacks, including an incident at a gym where Gizzi threw keys at Farah's face, prompting another man to intervene. He followed her, assaulted her in her car, and bombarded her with abusive messages. In one exchange, after Farah referenced him kicking her leg, Gizzi replied: "I couldn't reach your face."
A Sister's Courage
The court also heard that when Farah's sister Samantha challenged Gizzi, he turned violent, gripping her neck with such force that she fell to the floor, leaving marks on her neck. That attack at a pub in Colwyn Bay led to the strangulation charge. Gizzi, a former drug gang boss, additionally admitted refusing to provide police with the PIN to unlock his phone, for which he received a concurrent four-month sentence.
Judge Mills acknowledged that a domestic abuse protection order had been sought earlier but was not granted after Farah asked magistrates not to proceed, reportedly holding a note that appeared to tell her what to say. He told Gizzi that he would "never be forgiven for what people believe you did to her" and that this would follow him for the rest of his life, adding to applause from the gallery that those who had once feared him "were no longer."
The judge noted there was no offence on the indictment making Gizzi directly responsible for the events of 7 April, but said he had "no doubt" that North Wales Police would investigate should circumstances change or further evidence emerge.
