Jealous Scunthorpe lover jailed for false imprisonment of terrified girlfriend

A JEALOUS lover kept his terrified girlfriend locked and bolted inside a room to make sure she did not leave him, a court heard.

Andrew Etherington, 24, who lived on Sheffield Street in Scunthorpe before going into custody, admitted two offences of falsely imprisoning Natasha Todd between September 1 and October 4. He was jailed for two years and two months.

Andrew Etherington was jailed for two years and two months by Grimsby Crown Court

Jeremy Evans, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court the couple had been in a relationship since July and said she stayed at his home, but Etherington's behaviour became controlling and possessive.

He took her bank cards and changed her PINs, he said.

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And he later locked Miss Todd, 20, in a bedroom when he went out to a gym and put a bolt across the door, with a brass padlock, from the outside for a couple of hours at a time.

"This was his way of making sure she did not leave him," said Mr Evans.

Miss Todd had been left "scared and terrified" of Etherington, said Mr Evans.

Richard Hackfath, mitigating, said Etherington locked the room for only relatively short periods and Miss Todd had not come to any harm, apart from psychologically.

He accepted the relationship was over, Mr Hackfath said.

Etherington had complied with a restraining order imposed at Lewes Crown Court in Sussex in February last year for harassing another ex-girlfriend. He had been given a nine-month suspended prison sentence that day.

Judge Robert Moore told Etherington: "These offences are a continuation of your jealous and obsessive behaviour with any female who has a relationship with you."

The sentence included a consecutive six months after part of the suspended sentence was activated.