A man who choked his teenage girlfriend until she was unconscious and burned her hair during a "nasty" campaign of domestic abuse has been jailed for more than four years.

Ryan Black, 40, subjected his 18-year-old partner to regular attacks and controlled her bank card, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

The woman said she was having to find herself again after Black "stripped" everything away.

Black, of Farne Terrace in Walker, Newcastle, had denied any wrongdoing but was found guilty of coercive control and intentional strangulation.

Black and the young woman began a relationship in August 2022 which started well but deteriorated whenever he drank alcohol, prosecutor Sam Faulks said.

He regularly physically and verbally attacked her and when she tried to leave he took her phone and bank card from her, the court heard.

Examples of the "common" violence included him picking her up and slamming her to the ground at a bus stop on one occasion and biting her face on another.

He also regularly used her bank card, the court was told.

'Anxious and frightened'

In January 2023 he strangled her until she passed out, Mr Faulks said.

When she woke she found him crying and saying he could have killed her so she had to comfort him, the court heard, which was a regular occurrence after his attacks.

He strangled her again in July 2024 when she had the "temerity to bring up his behaviour towards her", Mr Faulks said.

The relationship finally ended when he singed her hair while trying to set it alight with a cigarette lighter, but even then, when she was on a bus fleeing from him, he threatened to kill her family and burn her house down.

In a statement, the woman said she had been severely impacted by the abuse and was still seeking medical help and counselling.

She said she had lived on "eggshells" around Black and was always "anxious and frightened" of what he might do.

The woman said she was "finding it hard to find" herself again having been "stripped away" by Black.

Judge Robert Spragg said Black was "nasty" towards the significantly younger woman and posed a high risk to future partners.

He was jailed for four years for his abuse and a further four months for breaching a suspended prison sentence imposed for other offending.

A restraining order banning him from contacting her was also made to last indefinitely.

A week after two women were injured in a crossbow attack on the route of the Otley Run pub crawl in Leeds, people have been returning to the bars in force.

The emergency vehicles are gone, the police tape has been taken down and students could be seen wearing fancy dress and in high spirits on Saturday.

But while the area is returning to normal, there are mixed feelings among residents and revellers alike, with some expressing fears about a rise in misogyny and violence against women.

A 19-year-old woman underwent surgery for life-threatening injuries following the attack on 26 April, while a 31-year-old woman was also taken to hospital. Both have been discharged.

Owen Lawrence – the 38-year-old man later named as the key suspect in the attack – had posted a hate-filled online manifesto describing the planned violence as "misogynistic rage".

He was arrested at the scene and later died in hospital from self-inflicted injuries.

Some bar-goers who spoke to the BBC earlier said they had been "apprehensive" about returning to the pub crawl, but felt safe thanks to a show of strength by the police.

Sophie Barraclough, an 18-year-old student at the University of Leeds, said a friend had been in a pub not far from the place of the attack in Otley Road.

"What happened is really tragic and really sad, but if everyone keeps a watch out – and it's good to see all the police around – it makes me feel safer," she said.

"The Otley Run is a lot of fun. It's a classic thing to do when you're in Leeds and all my friends from Newcastle have come."

Max Hut, a 19-year-old student who was taking part in the pub crawl for the first time, said he thought this week "would be the safest it's ever going to be" because of the police presence.

But for art student Jess Anderson, 20, the incident had "brought it close to home that there is actually a rise in violence against women".

She said she enjoyed dressing up for the pub crawl and being with the people she loved, but was "concerned there might be copycat people".

Her views were shared by student Christi King, 21, who lives in Headingley and said the attack had made her "even more aware" of her surroundings.

"We did not really believe what was happening at first," Ms King said. "It is sad that girls cannot just go out and feel safe."

"Violence against women is rising and people need to wake up to that."

She would like to see further education for young men on the issue.

"We are seeing a rise [in misogyny] on social media specifically targeting younger boys," she said.

"They are getting roped into these ideas about women which are completely false, so what is being done to make sure women are safe?"

Kate Morris, 23, had been planning to take part in the Otley Run when the attack happened.

"I think we will try our best to not let it affect us," Ms Morris said.

"As much as this is horrifying, when we go out we always have to think about threats.

"We still have to think about walking home – these people do exist."

Following the attack, Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin moved to reassure women and girls and called their safety "a top priority".

Iwan Grant, a graduate of Leeds Conservatoire who has lived in Headingley for three years, said the event was "an attack on the way of life" in the suburb.

"I literally live on the road where it happened, that does not happen here," the 24-year-old said.

Despite the attack, which saw "armies of police" patrolling the streets, he said his social circle felt safe.

"That is not something that is going to change," he said.

An increased police presence in Headingley has been in place in an attempt to reassure those living, working, studying or visiting the area.

Ch Supt Steve Dodds, Leeds District Commander, said this would continue over the coming days "both on the streets and around key events in the community".

West Yorkshire Police was "absolutely committed to making sure that people feel safe to go about their daily lives in the area", he added.

Another resident, 25-year-old Tim Brown, said life was going on, but "we are all thinking of the women hurt".

"There are plenty of big community events and people have not seemed too fussed, but there is the wider issue of femicide that needs tackling," he added.

The nearby St Michael and All Angels' Church has opened its doors to provide comfort for anyone feeling concerned.

James Eames, who was working at a hair salon on Otley Road at the time of the attack, said: "Social media forces people to live in bubbles, people fall down a pit and it is hard to get out of."

The 25-year-old raised concerns about online echo chambers reinforcing extreme views.

"On your phone you could see another bloke that backs a theory about women, but it comes from this idea of women that is not the real world," he said. "Technology has to be able to tackle that."

People had been "shaken up" by the incident, but it would not stop them from "living their lives", he added.

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The number of empty shops in County Durham is at its highest rate ever, a report has found.

Peterlee, Bishop Auckland, and Newton Aycliffe are the worst hit, while Ferryhill, Shildon, Consett, and Barnard Castle have also suffered heavily in the past year.

Overall, vacancy rates recently increased to 18.3%, compared with the national average of 14.4%.

However, one local retail consultant said work was being done to tackle the issue, adding "despite all the challenges, we continue to see good-quality independent and national businesses opening and seeking space in the region's town and city centres".

High streets across County Durham have continued to suffer when high-profile retailers leave prominent sites, with closures fuelled by changing shopping habits and rising rent.

The number of pharmacies, banks, and supermarkets have also decreased, but there were about 33% more takeaway outlets in 2024 compared with 2014.

'Work together'

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the report, Ghost Towns: The Decline of the High Street and Health Inequalities, argued for more "people-friendly" spaces, with seating, public toilets and pedestrianised areas to increase footfall.

Graham Soult, a North East-based retail consultant, warned that the declining state of local high streets should not be sensationalised.

"Local place leaders on the ground, in this region and beyond, are already working hard to tackle those issues and help facilitate the very change that the report's authors advocate", he said.

Residents in Bishop Auckland and Spennymoor have been invited to take part in decision-making and new powers such as High Street Rental Auctions, to help redevelop derelict properties, are set to be introduced in Darlington.

Mr Soult, who previously worked on the government's High Streets Task Force, said: "It is particularly disappointing that the report does not provide a platform to celebrate case studies of the good practice it is pushing for.

"The question we need to be asking is how we can all work together to make even more of that good stuff happen."