In 2026, a Gloucestershire man was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court after being found guilty of subjecting his former partner and her two children to almost a decade of coercive and controlling behaviour.
Darren Kingscott appeared before the court on Thursday 29 October 2026 for sentencing, following a three-day contested trial concluded earlier in October at Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court.
The prosecution outlined that Kingscott was involved in a ten-year relationship with the victim, during which he relocated into the residential property she shared with her two children. Over a nine-year period, Kingscott established an oppressive domestic environment characterized by shifting rules, social isolation, and emotional degradation designed to make the victim feel inferior.
Evidence presented during proceedings detailed how Kingscott systematically dictated daily household routines. He exerted total authority over what could be viewed on television, demanded that meals be prepared and served according to strict timetables, and required the children to remain confined to their bedrooms during the evening. Furthermore, Kingscott barred the children from communicating with their mother after a set time at night.
The victim, who worked professionally for a regional domestic abuse charity supporting high-risk individuals, disclosed the psychological trauma caused by the dynamic, explaining that the sustained pressure left her living in a constant state of anxiety and adrenaline. In statements detailing the impact of the offending, she recounted experiencing recurrent nightmares and psychological distress that at times pushed her to feel she no longer wished to live.
Describing the pattern of abuse, the survivor stated:
“He became more controlling, more demanding. The children had to be in their bedrooms, and he controlled what was on TV. They weren’t allowed to speak to me after a certain time in the evening. He wanted his tea on the table at a certain time. The way he started it was to degrade me and to make me feel smaller, even more inferior to him. He was the big man; he had lots of friends, and I had nothing other than my children. I think it was about moving the goalposts all the time, so every time he put a rule in for myself and my children, we weren’t able to keep up with that rule… It was like walking on eggshells, but trying to do that quietly.”
She added:
“I know that coercive and controlling behaviour can be very hard to prove, but I didn’t log things, I didn’t have text messages, I didn’t have any digital footprint. I just had my truth and my voice.”
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Superintendent Ian Fletcher of Gloucestershire Police remarked:
“People don’t necessarily recognise the small individual aspects, and they don’t really understand that it’s not right, it is a criminal offence. They’ll try to put it down by saying ‘well he’s not beating me up, he’s not punching me, so therefore it can’t be a crime,’ but being isolated from your friends, not being given the finances to better support yourself, not being able to see people you wish to go see. People shouldn’t be able to do that. You should be able to go and live your life.”
Kingscott was convicted of:
One count of engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship
Passing sentence, the Crown Court judge addressed the extensive psychological harm inflicted upon both the primary victim and the young children residing within the household over a nine-year timeframe.
The judge handed Kingscott a 20-month custodial sentence, suspended for an operational period of 18 months.
Alongside the suspended sentence, the court imposed an 18-month probation supervision order, ordered Kingscott to complete 100 hours of unpaid community work, and granted a five-year restraining order prohibiting him from contacting the victim or her family.
Image – Anonymous Artist Impression
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