Paul Douglas ‘revealed his true colours’ after his victim broke up with him following a four-month relationship
Paul Douglas, 50, of Croxteth Drive, Sefton Park(Image: Merseyside police)
A woman who was stalked and attacked by her obsessive ex-boyfriend says she dreads the day he comes out of prison. Paul Douglas, 50, punched the woman multiple times, burned her with cigarettes, wrapped his hands around her neck and threatened to kill her after their short-lived relationship came to an end.
The brutal attack occurred on April 26 this year, when the woman went to Douglas’ property to collect her bags following their break-up. Speaking to the ECHO, the woman, who we have chosen not to name, said she decided to end the four-month relationship after finding out about Douglas’ previous conviction for domestic violence in 2022.
She said: “I first met him just walking through Liverpool city centre with a couple of friends. It was on a night out at a gig at District, Jordan Street. I bumped into him going to get a taxi. We just got talking, we exchanged numbers. I went home with my friends and I didn’t meet up with him until a month later.
“My friends did say watch yourself with him, because he was a bit full-on. He was constantly ringing me, he wanted to propose to me, he wanted to basically isolate me from the world. It was constant, clingy and forceful. He was constantly asking me what I was doing. He was constantly bombarding me with messages.”
She said she knew Douglas had a criminal record, but it was not until she was warned by a friend about his past domestic violence conviction that she decided to end the relationship.
She said: “I have my own children so I thought I didn’t want to be involved. Because I backed off, that’s when it started. His true colours were revealed.
“He kept on coming by my house, ringing me constantly. He came to my property and he was driving round and round my house. He was sending voicemails and always turning up at my house.”
When the the woman went to his address to collect her bags on April 26, he carried out an “extremely violent” assault. Prosecutor Helen Chenery, at Liverpool Crown Court, said: “He began punching her to the legs, face and body. He wrapped his hands around her neck with his full weight and started strangling her, shouting ‘I’ll f***ing kill you’.
“The defendant then grabbed a lit cigarette and pushed it into her chest and arm, causing burn marks.”
The woman attempted to flee, but Douglas blocked the doorway and said “you’re not going anywhere”.
Ms Chenery said: “He continued to punch her legs and right shoulder. At one point he opened the balcony door and said ‘do you want to go out this way?’ She genuinely believed she was going to die.”
The woman suffered numerous bruises on her body and limbs, and cigarette burns on her elbow and upper chest. The following month, on May 18, she received 50 missed calls and 42 voicemails from Douglas, in which he spewed racial slurs.
At 6.50pm that same day, Douglas pulled up outside her house and was beeping his horn. He also made abusive phone calls to her older sister, warning her he would “come to (her) house”.
The woman called 999, and Douglas could be heard in the background shouting: “Watch what you’ll get off me. Watch if you turn up with the bizzies, I’ll put a screwdriver in your eye.” He was arrested on May 19, and released on police bail but he continued trying to contact her.
On May 20 she received 20 calls from an unknown number, and when she answered, while keeping her side of the call on mute, the defendant could be heard asking her to call him, and “making vague threats”.
The woman said: “He obviously didn’t care about the law or breaking rules. I felt like I was going to die. I messaged my sister and I had to get her device to record his calls, to have the proof that he wasn’t listening to the order. I had to move my children out of my house to safeguard them and then just hope for the best.”
She said she disagreed with the decision to give Douglas bail following his attack on her and previous conviction for assault against another partner.
She said: “It’s not right and its not OK to release anybody knowing what they had done. People need to be aware of people like this. I had been single for years and walked into that, and I could have been dead.
“I think he will do it again because he’s not learned from the first time. He was sentenced and walked back out and did it again.
“I just feel worried, like he’s going to come out and kill me. I’m on the edge constantly. I’m literally on the edge. It’s a scary situation to have been in and I’ve come out the other side, but those feelings are still there. It’s scary.
“It can happen to anybody. And if he had learned his lesson the first time, why would he reoffend? I just want people to be aware and be careful.
“Imagine a young girl walking into that, and that’s her whole life. I didn’t need that sort of abuse. no one does. It doesn’t matter what you’re going through in your life, no one deserves that.”
Douglas, of Croxteth Drive, Sefton Park, was sentenced to a total of 27 months for the assault, strangulation and stalking offences against his ex-partner, and six months for the threatening communications against her sister. These sentences will run consecutively, making a total of 33 months in prison.
Detective Inspector James Halpin said: “We can confirm that Paul Douglas, who was jailed to for 33 months for assault, strangulation, stalking offences and threatening communications against his victims in November 2025, was originally arrested and bailed with conditions in May 2025 for these crimes whilst we continued our investigation.
“He was later in breach of these conditions which were not to contact the victims by any means whatsoever including social media and not to enter a road in the L15 area.
“Douglas was subsequently arrested and remanded for this offence.
“Douglas has now received a restraining order and custodial sentencing regarding his crimes. The sentence has removed Douglas from the streets to prevent further harm to anyone else. I hope he spends his time in prison to reflect on his violent behaviour and accepts that it is wrong.
“Domestic abuse isn’t always physical. It can take many forms, including emotional or sexual abuse, financial control, and other coercive or controlling behaviours. It can happen to anyone, regardless of gender or social status.
“If you are experiencing abuse, or know someone who is, please reach out for help. We take every report seriously and are here to listen, support you, and bring offenders to justice.
“Merseyside Police, in partnership with Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell, has recently launched a major campaign highlighting the warning signs of domestic abuse, particularly coercive and controlling behaviour, using real experiences from victim-survivors. This forms part of our ongoing commitment to tackling Violence Against Women and Girls.”