A MAN tormented over his appearance in a horrific campaign of abuse by his controlling girlfriend has slammed her soft sentence.
Gareth Jones said he was "disappointed" after Sarah Rigby, 41, avoided jail and believes if she were a man, the outcome would be different.
The 40-year-old NHS manager was driven to the brink of suicide by Rigby after she repeatedly belittled and bullied him.
The mum-of-six called Gareth fat and made him eat salads in a warped bid to make him lose weight.
She also forced him to wear a hat outside of the house after convincing him he was going bald.
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Rigby made Gareth swallow toothpaste after wrongfully claiming he had bad breath, kept control of his £4,000-a-month wages, threw him out of the house in his underwear and checked his mobile phone.
She admitted coercive behaviour but was handed a 20-month prison term suspended for two years.
Speaking to ITV, Gareth said: "I feel disappointed with the verdict, it shows there is still a stigma in society about the male-female dynamic, especially relating to domestic abuse.
"If it was a man it would probably be a completely different outcome.
"Females can be perpetrators, public opinion is vital, and changing the narrative is key and that stigmatisation is out there in society around how males are not seen as victims of domestic violence.
"It shows this can happen and more people do need to come forward and speak out about this."
Gareth revealed how even during the case, Rigby taunted him by showing up to Chester Crown Court with a £400 Marc Jacobs bag he was ordered to buy during a shopping trip to Harrods.
In a brave victim impact statement, he told how he felt "degraded and worthless" after receiving constant abuse from Rigby.
He also revealed he still suffers from low self-esteem and believed her cruel lies about his appearance.
Gareth added: "'I think I will always be emotionally scarred by the effects the abuse that I've suffered.”
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The court heard how the couple got together in 2021 after meeting on Plenty of Fish.
Gareth moved in with Rigby shortly after but she soon became controlling and told him he needed to lose weight if they were to remain in a relationship.
The mum restricted what he ate - causing him to lose four stone - taunted him over his sexual performance and "frisked" him before leaving the house.
If she was going out, Rigby made Gareth wander the streets until she returned and regularly branded him 'fat”, “lazy”, “sweaty”, “a whale”, “dopey”, “thick”, “smelly” and a “dog”.
She also kept control of his finances, made him sleep on the floor as "punishment", barred him from using the toilet at home and made up false claims he had assaulted her.
On one occasion, Rigby told him: "If I’m not pregnant this month, I am going to find someone else to have sex with and get pregnant. I need to get pregnant this month. If I don’t, I’ll dump you.''
The evil student nurse also physically abused Gareth and left him with a scar on his nose after hitting him with a glass candle holder.
Rigby, who only let Gareth shower every few days, clawed at his face and threatened to have him beaten up.
The ordeal came to an end in March 2022 when brave Gareth contacted police.
But during her police interview, Rigby falsely claimed the victim had been violent, coercive, controlling and manipulative towards her.
Gareth now hopes by speaking out, he can change the way people think about domestic abuse when men are the victims.
He said: "Hopefully, we can change the way the judicial system looks upon these kinds of cases as has shown with the verdict that has come out. I think that's vitally important on how we can try and move things forward as a society.
"I think it shows that it doesn't send a strong enough message. It shows that if you're a female abuser and you did commit such atrocities, you can still get away with things.
"It is vital that that is addressed within society, the more men that come forward and speak up about these things, that's the way we can have a true impact."
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
