Damien Lang 41

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A man has been jailed for 14 years after being found guilty of controlling and coercive behaviour and attempted rape in Wirral.

Damien Lang, 41 years, of Heyes Drive in Leasowe but originally from Milton Keynes, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday 6 March and was sentenced to 14 years in prison and eight years on extended licence. He was also issued with an an indefinite restraining order not to contact the victim.

Lang was charged in February last year and in January this year he was found guilty of controlling and coercive behaviour and attempted rape.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, she said:

“The abuse I suffered has left me traumatised in ways I still struggle to put into words.

“He was someone I trusted, someone who manipulated me into love by pretending to be someone he wasn’t.

“He controlled me, hurt me, threatened me and made me live in fear. Even now, long after it’s over I don’t feel safe and what he did changed my life forever.

“What’s worse is that he normalised everything bad he did to me and made me believe that it was part of a relationship – that it was somehow my fault and I was overreacting.

“Over time I stopped trusting me own instincts and I began to doubt myself and accept pain as normal – that kind of emotional manipulation stayed with me long after the relationship ended.

“This has affected every area of my life. I no longer trust people, especially men. I avoid relationships and feel disconnected with the world around me. The emotional damage is deep and ongoing.”

Detective Inspector Holly Chance said:

“Lang put his victim through the trauma of having to relive the experience by way of a trial, but thankfully a jury saw through his lies and he is now paying for his crimes.

“While no sentence will repair the damage he inflicted on his victim, I hope this conviction has secured some justice for her. I would like to praise the courage, strength and dignity shown by the victim throughout the case and would like to ask for anyone else suffering from similar to come forward.

“This result shows that violence against women and girls will simply not be tolerated and we will work tirelessly to bring perpetrators to justice.”

Det Insp Chance added:

“I would like to emphasise that there is plenty of 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 can happen to anyone and we have specially trained officers who will listen to you and support you with sensitivity and compassion.

"Likewise, I would 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.”