The ‘monster’ demanded access to footage from CCTV cameras at her home address
14:05, 25 Jun 2025Updated 14:31, 25 Jun 2025
Peter Melia(Image: Facebook)
A “monster” attempted to bite his girlfriend on the nose because he didn’t like her vaping during a campaign of disturbing domestic abuse. Peter Melia was in tears with his head in his hands over what he labelled “the biggest mistake of his life”, telling a judge: “There’s no excuse for what I did. I will never forgive myself.”
Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Wednesday, that the dad-of-three began a relationship with a woman in July 2021. But this quickly descended into “abuse and control on the part of the defendant”, who “made her live by his expectations and rules”.
Ken Grant, prosecuting, described how this included the 40-year-old, of Poplars Avenue in Orford, Warrington, forcing her to change her profile picture on social media to an image which included him, telling her what to wear and “isolating her from her friends” by saying that she was “only allowed to go out with him”.
Melia, meanwhile, demanded access to footage from CCTV cameras at her home address and forbade her from speaking to the father of her children.
In one incident around Christmas of 2022, he was said to have made a request during sex. However, when she refused to do so, he responded by hitting her in the face with the back of his hand, causing her to fall into a fireplace, before taking hold of one of her children’s toys and “smashing it to pieces”.
Another assault followed while the couple were on holiday, when Melia issued a similar demand of his girlfriend. Having again been refuted, he then punched her in the face.
During another trip abroad to Poland, he then took exception to his partner liking her friend’s picture on Facebook. This led to him “backhanding her in the face and jabbing her in the stomach”.
Then, on January 7 last year, an argument erupted after Melia “found out she had been vaping”, which he was “very much against”. They later went out for the evening, but while she was subsequently undressing before going to bed, he “jumped on her”, grabbed her by the throat and punched her to the side of the face.
A short time later, after she had “called him a monster for what he had done”, he “again jumped on her”, placed his knees onto her chest and began strangling her. Melia was also said to have attempted to bite her nose during this assault.
His criminal record shows four previous convictions dating back to 2002, including receiving a total of 31 months behind bars in 2017 for offences of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and making threats to kill against a different former partner. Jim Smith, defending, read a letter penned by his client to his court, saying: “I’m writing this letter to apologise and to express my sincere remorse.
“I’m disgusted by my behaviour and utterly ashamed of myself. I know there are no words, and no apology can take back what happened, but I want you to know I’m truly sorry to her, her family and friends. Nobody should have to go through anything like that, ever. I hope and pray that she finds peace and heals.
“It was the biggest mistake of my life. There’s no excuse for what I did. I will never forgive myself for this and putting her through it. I not only let her down, but I also let myself down and my family and children down. I hate myself for this and hope that, one day, I will make this up to them.
“I’ve made major changes in my life. I’ve made the decision to stop drinking entirely. That choice alone has helped me to see clearer and gain control over my emotions, actions and decisions in life.”
Melia went out to outline how he had been engaging in meditation, yoga and sound baths and said: “I’ve made a conscious effort to surround myself with more positive influences. I have no intention of returning to that way of living again. I will never touch alcohol again.
“I’ve seen my dad be violent to my mother when he was drunk when I was a child. It’s obvious that alcohol doesn’t agree with me too. I don’t want my kids to resent me. I want them to be proud of me.
“I’m determined to prove I’ve learnt from this and I’m capable of making better and more responsible choices. It was the biggest regret of my life. I will forever be ashamed and embarrassed. I’ve turned my life around and plan to be a better father, son and person in general.”
Melia was seen with his head in hands and wiping tears away with a tissue at times during the hearing. Mr Smith added on his behalf: “We have heard of the trauma that the defendant suffered through being a witness to domestic violence in the household while his father was in drink.
“That has clearly had a psychological impact on him and may well have been influential. This defendant has started to try to address his psychology and his problems. He is no longer drinking and is undergoing self-help.
“Your honour will see the better side of the defendant and the qualities that he does possess. He is somebody who is respected and valued within his family. He is in full-time employment. He has always worked and always been industrious. He is starting on that long road to recovery.”
Melia admitted engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and intentional strangulation. Appearing in the dock wearing a black Ralph Lauren jumper, he nodded and replied “thank you” after being jailed for two-and-a-half years and handed a five-year restraining order.
Sentencing, Recorder Louis Browne KC said: “Whatever the position might be now, it is quite clear that these offences have had a lasting effect on your former partner. She describes you behaving in a violent and bullying way, which is completely unacceptable.
“I very much hope that, after your release, you will continue to behave as you have described in your letter and that you will learn from this experience and not behave in this way again.”