Birkdale man jailed for domestic offences against woman

A man from Birkdale has been jailed after pleading guilty to domestic offences he committed against a woman over a four-month period.

Ayden O’Brien, 38 years, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court and was sentenced to three years in prison Thursday 10 September. He was also issued with an indefinite restraining order to protect the victim from future harassment or fear of violence from him.

The court heard O’Brien met the victim in April after contacting her on social media. Within just a few weeks, he became controlling and would expect constant contact with the victim. On many occasions he demanded to go through her phone – threatening to harm her family if she did not comply.

In July the victim had the confidence to come forward after reading press reports of previous domestic offending by O’Brien.

In August he was arrested and charged with stalking with fear of violence, malicious communications, assault by beating and criminal damage, and was remanded into custody.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, she said: “Before I met O’Brien, I would never have been able to comprehend that a person can have such a massive impact on my wellbeing in a such a short space of time.

“I question things that I never thought of before like walking to work on my own which I have stopped doing and changed the way I travel and where I go. I now avoid places that I previously would have been fine with. If I see someone who looks like him I panic and I’m overcome with fear. I have become someone who is scared to go out alone.

“I always worried for my family’s safety, I never knew what he was capable of and was constantly on edge and follow through with his threats.”

Detective Constable Heather Shotton said: “The victim tried many times to end the relationship and cut contact with him. But he relentlessly contacted her both through phone calls and through more than 20 social media accounts he created.

“O’Brien threatened to harm the victim, and those close to her, and told her he would ruin her life by posting lies about her on social media. The victim felt she had no choice but to keep in contact with him and try to keep him happy, visiting him and putting herself in harm’s way in a desperate attempt to protect her loved ones.

“Upon his arrest, he showed no remorse for his actions and could not understand that his behaviour was wrong.

“Over the course of only four months, O’Brien assaulted the victim, threatened her, and impacted her mental health to the point she feels like a completely different person to who she was before she met him.”

Detective Constable Shotton continued: “I would like to emphasise that there is help available to anyone who may be suffering domestic abuse of any kind and together with partner agencies, we will do all that we can to support you.

“Domestic abuse comes in many forms, it isn’t just physical – it can be emotional, sexual, financial or controlling behaviour and it can happen to anyone, regardless of gender. We have specially trained officers who will listen to you and support you with sensitivity and compassion.

“I would also ask everyone to look out for your family members, friends or neighbours that may be suffering, as by contacting us you could be helping someone who is too afraid to help themselves. Everything you tell us is taken extremely seriously and will be investigated thoroughly.”

If you have any non-urgent information on domestic abuse – if you are a victim or believe someone you know is a victim - you can contact us via direct message @MerPolCC on x and Facebook or contact @CrimestoppersUK, anonymously on 0800 555 111.

If you are in immediate danger, always call 999. If you ring 999 and are not in a safe position to speak to us then cough, or tap, the phone and press 55, when prompted. This will alert the operator that you need assistance and we will provide support.

You can also request information under Clare’s Law, the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme. This scheme enables the police to release information about any previous history of violence or abuse a person might have.

Find out more here:Request information under Clare's Law: Make a Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) application | Merseyside Police

Further information on the local and national support available can be found here: Support organisations for victims of domestic violence | Merseyside Police 

We recently launched our Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) campaign to put the voices of women and girls at the heart of our work to tackle VAWG. You can find out more about the campaign here:www.merseyside.police.uk/vawg