Trudi Burgess left paralysed after 'Jekyll and Hyde monster' attack as Robert Easom jailed for 16 years
trudi burgess was left paralysed after a brutal assault when she told her partner she was leaving; the man convicted over the attack has been sentenced to 16 years in prison. The case has exposed a sustained pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour that stretched back to 2017 and culminated in catastrophic injury on 17 February 2025.
Sentence, convictions and the judge's remarks
Robert Easom, 57, was sentenced to 16 years in prison, followed by a four-year extended licence period, after being convicted of wounding with intent. The sentence covered convictions for wounding with intent, two charges of actual bodily harm and coercive and controlling behaviour. Easom was found guilty after a trial in November and a jury at Preston Crown Court deliberated for 27 minutes.
He had denied a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and had admitted causing the injury while denying he intended to cause serious harm. Sentencing, Judge Robert Altham said: "No sentence I can pass upon you could begin to equal the harm that you have caused. I must pass the sentence which I consider to be just and lawful. But the fact remains that even with the lengthy sentence I am about to impose, you will have a prospect of a future which you have denied to your victim. This is not a case where a life sentence is called for, however I am satisfied that an extended determinate sentence is required in order to protect the public from you. "
How the assault on 17 February 2025 unfolded
On 17 February 2025, when trudi burgess told Easom she was leaving, he launched a violent attack that severed her spinal cord and left her paralysed. After the incident Easom called 999 and said Ms Burgess had "fallen out of bed" and had "landed in a bad way with her neck. " During the assault Burgess heard her neck crack.
Trudi Burgess's injuries, condition and victim statement
Trudi Burgess, 57, of Chorley, Lancashire, suffered a complete spinal cord injury and is tetraplegic. She will never walk again, requires continuous specialist care, is in constant pain, cannot cough without help, has no use of her hands and has no control over her bladder and bowel functions. She remains in hospital in a spinal injuries rehabilitation unit but attended the sentencing hearing in person to deliver a victim impact statement.
In her statement she said her life had been destroyed and described being "emotionally shattered, " suffering bouts of depression, daily anxiety, symptoms of PTSD, flashbacks and nightmares. She said: "I feel trapped and powerless. Everything that once gave me joy, now feels out of reach. My future has been rewritten and not by choice. " read by her brother Charlie outside court, Ms Burgess said: "I believe today's sentence reflects the seriousness of the harm done and the lasting impact of this abuse. While it can't change what I've been through, it sends an important message that this kind of violence will be taken seriously. "
Nine years of coercive and controlling behaviour dating from 2017
Police and the court heard that Easom waged a relentless campaign of coercive and controlling behaviour between July 2017 and February 2025. Lancashire Police described it as an "eight-year campaign of coercive and controlling behaviour" that involved persistent verbal and physical abuse. Throughout the relationship Burgess documented incidents in the notes section of her mobile phone.
Detective Constable Bethanie Kirk described Easom as a "manipulative, controlling and cowardly individual. " Prosecutor Sarah Magill told the court that one minute Burgess would feel loved and the next he would "hurt her, humiliate her and make her feel small. " The court heard Easom regularly berated Burgess, at one point calling her "a fucking teacher bitch. "
Escalations in York, attacks in 2019 and 2021, and attempts to leave
Examples of physical assaults recorded in the case included forcing Burgess to clean up spilled food, pushing her against furniture, shouting at her, driving dangerously to frighten her, and headbutting her. About seven months into their relationship, during a trip to York in 2018, Easom "switched" into a rage, dragged Burgess around a bathroom and threatened her, quoting a line from the film Rambo — "Don't push or I'll give you a war" (also described in court as "Don't push or I'll give you a war you don't need"). When she tried to leave he begged her to stay and appeared remorseful.
In 2019 Easom violently grabbed a glass of wine from Burgess, shouted and dragged her upstairs by the head, banging it against each step. In 2021, again in York, he placed a sheet over her head and strangled her, leaving her terrified for her life; the next day he dismissed that attack as him "just trying to teach her a lesson. " On the day she attempted to leave the relationship he had asked if she was making their customary cottage pie that evening; when she said she was not and that she was leaving, Easom flew into an "uncontrollable rage. " Police described the final attack as the "horrific climax" of the relationship.
This story contains details of physical and emotional abuse and a range of advice and support is available for people affected by domestic violence and coercive behaviour.
