Woman’s bravery sees violent ex-partner jailed for strangulation attack

The bravery of a survivor of domestic abuse has been praised after her evidence saw her former partner jailed for violently attacking her.

Daniel Whelan, aged 29, assaulted the woman in the early hours of January 27 last year, just four days after he had been released from a seven-year sentence for grievous bodily harm against another woman.

The woman revealed to police that during the hour-long ordeal, Whelan raped her, strangled her and repeatedly struck her to the face, causing face and neck injuries which required hospital treatment.

She was eventually able to flee and seek help from a neighbour who called 999.

The subsequent Northamptonshire Police investigation saw the woman reveal further details of his abuse, including how she had woken up to find him having sex with her on several occasions.

She also shared recordings of phone calls with Whelan detailing how he wanted to attack her with acid and threatening to kill her. Whelan also sent her a voice note on Snapchat where he told her he would go and abduct another woman and rape her.

Whelan went on to be charged with three counts of rape, two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), one count of intentional strangulation, and one count of sending a communication of an indecent/offensive nature.

At a court hearing on August 8, he admitted the January 27 assault charge and sending the offensive messages.

Following a trial on the other matters, on November 25 Whelan was found not guilty of the rape charges but was convicted of the other assault and intentional strangulation charges.

On December 3, Whelan, formerly of Newport Pagnell Road, Northampton, returned to Northampton Crown Court and was sentenced to a total of two years and 11 months’ imprisonment.

He was also made subject to an indefinite restraining order preventing him from going near the survivor or contacting her by any means.

Speaking afterwards, investigating officer Detective Constable Gina Anderson said: “Daniel Whelan is a very dangerous offender who in my opinion poses a huge risk to women and always will.

“His behaviour towards this woman was nothing short of monstrous, and to me the evidence showed that he thought he could act exactly as he wanted, with no consequences.

“The survivor in this case has shown incredible bravery, both throughout the investigation and in court giving evidence. She has ensured he has faced consequences for what he put her through.

“I very much hope she can take pride in the fact her courage and strength has ensured Whelan has additional convictions on his record and has received another custodial sentence.

“We know how difficult and dangerous it is to leave an abusive relationship, but I want to stress that any abuse is never the victim’s fault. Help is out there, and we are committed to undertaking robust investigations in order to bring offenders before the courts and ensure they are held accountable.”

*This report, custody image and video/audio have been released with the support of the survivor, who has a legal right to lifelong anonymity.*

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this report, find advice and support – including how to make a report – here. 

Report non-emergency crime and information via 101 or online at www.northants.police.uk/RO. In an emergency, always call 999.

Find out more about making an application under Clare’s Law here.