A Cardiff man has been sentenced to three years in a young offenders institute following a violent assault on his partner and her teenage daughter, a deeply troubling case that unfolded in the Welsh capital. Thomas Throssell, 25, was convicted of multiple offences after launching a brutal attack inside his partner’s home late last year, which left both victims physically and emotionally scarred.
The incident, heard before Newport Crown Court, began with a domestic dispute on the morning of 3 December 2024. Tensions escalated after Throssell attempted to use his partner’s address for a Universal Credit application, a request she refused. This refusal sparked a confrontation that quickly turned physical, with the situation spiralling out of control and drawing in the woman’s 18-year-old daughter.
According to the prosecution, Throssell lashed out by seizing his partner’s hair and pinning her down for several minutes. He then subjected her to a forceful kick to the shin, resulting in visible bruising and considerable pain. Verbal abuse accompanied the physical assault, painting a harrowing picture of domestic turmoil for the court.
Events took a darker turn when the victim’s teenage daughter intervened in an attempt to protect her mother. Throssell, determined to keep her away, instead grabbed the young woman by the throat and shoved her onto a bed. The court heard how he squeezed her neck so tightly that she genuinely feared for her life, describing her terror during the attack.
After his partner managed to pull him away, Throssell’s anger continued to manifest destructively. He moved throughout the house, smashing a bathroom mirror in a fit of rage before refusing to leave when ordered to do so by his partner. Instead, he punched her in the face before she and her daughter were finally able to push him out of the house. Emergency services were swiftly called, and Throssell was arrested at the scene when police arrived.
During police interviews, Throssell attempted to deflect blame, describing his partner in disparaging terms and claiming without evidence that she had staged her injuries. These assertions were dismissed during the trial, which found him guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, intentional strangulation, two counts of assault by beating, and criminal damage.
The victim provided a statement outlining the devastating impact the ordeal has had on her life. She said she rarely left the house now, suffered ongoing pain, and felt isolated from friends and family. Once outgoing, she described herself now as just a “shell” of her former self, highlighting the severe psychological consequences of the abuse she endured.
Throssell’s previous convictions, which include battery, assault, criminal damage, and harassment, were outlined to the court, painting a picture of longstanding violent tendencies. The defence presented his difficult childhood, strained familial relationships, and a series of job offers as mitigating factors during sentencing, but these were not enough to offset the gravity of his actions.
Judge Celia Hughes, presiding over the case, castigated Throssell’s behaviour as “appalling”, particularly condemning his attack on both his partner and her daughter within what should have been a safe domestic setting. The judge also imposed a six-year restraining order to protect the victims from future harm.
Cases like this continue to shine a light on the hidden violence that can occur behind closed doors, emphasising the importance of support for survivors and robust responses from the criminal justice system. The sentencing sends a strong message regarding society’s intolerance of domestic abuse and the judicial resolve to hold perpetrators to account.