Worthing man jailed in Hove after attacking partner in her home

Gavin Anstey, 37, stood on his ex-girlfriend's neck before kneeling down to strangle her in a prolonged and vicious attack.

Anstey, a scaffolder, attacked his former girlfriend in her home in Worthing in November last year, with the young woman saying that he had repeatedly threatened to kill her.

The young woman said in a victim statement read out at Hove Crown Court: “He would attack me, I’d catch my breath, and then he’d start another attack. It went from room to room as he threw me around my flat.

“I thought he was going to go for my eye. I had no way out.

Gavin Anstey (Image: Sussex Police)

“He strangled me to the point where my family flashed before my eyes. I do believe that he will want revenge and he will want to come and seriously hurt me or even kill me.”

The attack took place in November, 2022, with Anstey trying to cover up his attack by removing bloodstained items from the flat.

Judge Christine Henson KC told Anstey he was guilty of a prolonged, persistent and horrific attack lasting about an hour.

The judge added that he posed a high risk of causing serious harm or death to future partners.

• READ MORE: Woman thought ex-partner would kill her, court told

Anstey, of South Street, Worthing, was sentenced to five years in prison, the maximum allowed by law, with at least two thirds of the sentence being served in custody.

He pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm, non-fatal strangulation and causing criminal damage.

The judge also ordered a restraining order until further notice.

After the hearing, Anstey's ex-partner described him as a narcissist who was incapable of feeling any remorse or empathy towards others.

Sussex Police Detective Superintendent Alex Geldart said: “Domestic abuse has a long-lasting emotional and physical impact on victims, and there is absolutely no excuse for it.

“We absolutely welcome the sentence handed down by the judge in this case. By issuing the maximum possible term, it properly reflects the serious and violent nature of the crime committed and shows such behaviour will not be tolerated.

“I hope this custodial sentence and restraining order will go some way to providing closure to the victim and I would like to thank her for her bravery in supporting this investigation and helping to hold this dangerous perpetrator to account.”

The November attack was a concerning escalation from a previous attack on another ex-girlfriend in 2020, the judge said.

"It is clear you have acute difficulty in conducting yourself in an intimate relationship," the judge said.

"I’m in no doubt you pose a serious risk of harm to others."

Anstey claimed he was distracted by a bee inside the cab of a van he was driving when he killed two young students. He was jailed for four years in 2008.

Anstey, then 23, said he was distracted by the bee landing on his leg.

His Ford Transit slammed into two cars, killing Jessica Nixon-Lea, 20, and Gemma Lee, also 20.

Anstey admitted two charges of causing death by dangerous driving on the A27 at Selmeston