Man from Hatfield further convicted after perverting the course of justice

A man who intentionally put his victim under pressure in his attempt to lie his way out of a trial has been further convicted for perverting the course of justice.

Damon Whitcombe, aged 41, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to one year and 11 months in prison at St Albans Crown Court on Thursday (15 August), in addition to the four-year sentence he is currently serving after being convicted for domestic abuse offences in 2021.

In the run up to the trial in 2021, Whitcombe orchestrated a cunning plan with his grandmother to deliberately attempt to cover over the truth.

Over several months, a series of text messages were sent, and phone calls were had between Whitcombe who was on remand in prison and his grandmother, as well as text messages and phone calls made directly to the victim by both him and his grandmother.

The two planned how to get the victim to change their account of events to support the fabricated lies Whitcombe had told in his police interview.

During the course of the trial, they pressured the victim to disengage with police and retract her statement. Whitcombe was found guilty and sentenced to more than four years in prison for domestic abuse offences including two counts of coercive controlling behaviour and two counts of actual bodily harm (ABH).

During sentencing this week, Judge Mr Gareth Weetman said in his summing up: “You deliberately pursued a course of conduct to try to dissuade your former partner from giving evidence”.

Although Whitcombe’s grandmother was also charged with perverting the course of justice, she passed away before the trial so was never convicted.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Claire Richardson-Wabe of the Safeguarding Command said: “I am grateful that we could support the victim of this case and achieve this result. Our force will not tolerate anyone who perverts the course of justice and those who do will face the full force of the law.

“Hertfordshire Constabulary has a specialist team of officers that will ruthlessly pursue justice in any case, and there is always support available to victims of domestic abuse.

“I want to thank Investigating Officer Lauren Shelley who led the case from the beginning and despite moving roles, has continued to show empathy and resilience in obtaining an attempt to get justice for the victim.”

Anyone with concerns about their partner can contact the Hertfordshire IDVA Service (Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy service) by calling 0300 790 6772.  In an emergency, always call 999. If you are afraid or unable to speak, call 999 from a mobile and press 5, 5. Help and support is also available from the Herts Domestic Abuse Helpline on 08 088 088 088.