Domestic abuser who suffocated former partner now jailed after sentence increased
A domestic abuser’s suspended sentence was overturned after the Attorney General intervened, resulting in a longer prison term for repeated assaults and coercive control.
Aiden Ford, 40, from Hanham, Bristol, had his suspended sentence of three years increased to four years and three months’ imprisonment after the Attorney General referred his case to the Court of Appeal. The decision followed Ford’s conviction for assaulting and coercively controlling his former partner between February and August 2025. The Court of Appeal heard evidence of violent assaults, threats, and suffocation, as well as efforts to pressure the victim into withdrawing her statements.
Ford’s campaign of abuse included trapping the victim in his home, making threats to her life, and relentless contact after she ended their relationship. On one occasion, he forced her into his car, drove to a secluded area, and restrained her while violently assaulting her. The victim feared for her life during the attack, which involved suffocation with his forearm.
After the victim reported the abuse, Ford persistently pressured her to withdraw her police statements, ultimately succeeding in doing so. The Court of Appeal noted the sustained and terrifying nature of the abuse, which left the victim in genuine fear for her safety. The case was referred under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme following the Attorney General’s intervention.
On 11 June 2026, Ford was initially sentenced to three years’ imprisonment suspended for three years at Cardiff Crown Court. The sentence covered one count of controlling and coercive behaviour, one count of suffocation, one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and one count of perverting the course of justice. The Court of Appeal increased his sentence to four years and three months’ imprisonment on 20 October 2026.