Staffordshire Police have launched an appeal to locate 34-year-old Samuel Sylvester, who is currently on the run after breaching a restraining order following his early discharge from a custodial sentence of nearly seven years.
Sylvester was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court to an immediate custodial term of 81 months (six years and nine months) after entering guilty pleas to:
- Assault occasioning actual bodily harm
- Engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate relationship
- Intentional strangulation
- Making threats to kill
The court heard that Sylvester had an extensive criminal history, comprising 26 previous convictions across 47 separate offences.
The proceedings detailed an eight-month pattern of domestic abuse and physical violence inside a property in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent. The victim had initially provided Sylvester with accommodation when he was homeless in 2022. Sylvester subsequently subjected her to verbal denigration, including racial slurs directed at her family, and routinely confiscated her mobile phone following violent episodes to prevent her from contacting emergency services or relatives.
The violence escalated over several months:
- On Christmas Day 2022, Sylvester choked the victim and issued direct threats to take her life.
- During subsequent assaults, he struck her across the head with a metal pole, resulting in severe bruising.
- He stabbed her in the knee using a kitchen knife before slashing the blade across her abdomen.
- He held a pen against her throat, threatening to drive it into her neck.
The abuse culminated in a sustained attack lasting approximately an hour, during which Sylvester punched, kicked, and headbutted the victim, inflicting a deep wound above her eyebrow. When she called out for help, Sylvester used a towel to smother her screams.
The ordeal ended when a visitor arrived at the premises, heard the disturbance, and alerted law enforcement.
Under UK legislation, victims of domestic violence and specified offences are protected by statutory anonymity.
Alongside the 81-month sentence, the court imposed an indefinite restraining order.
Release and Breach: Because Sylvester had accumulated over three years on remand prior to sentencing, his time served in custody was credited toward the statutory half of his determinate term. As a result, he was discharged into the community after serving 11 months post-sentence. Following his release, Sylvester breached the terms of the indefinite restraining order and is now unlawfully at large.
Members of the public who possess information regarding Sylvester’s whereabouts are urged to contact Staffordshire Police by dialling 101, or 999 in an emergency. Information can also be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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