A man held his ex-partner captive in her Nottingham home for five hours after forcing his way in through a window.
When the victim tried to grab her phone to get help, 35-year-old Tomas Dunka snatched it off her, smashed it, and threw it at her face.
She repeatedly tried to leave but Dunka blocked her path and stopped her from leaving during the terrifying ordeal – at one point grappling with her on the ground and holding her down.
After five hours of being held hostage, the victim finally managed to escape via the back door. She ran into the garden and climbed a fence before getting in her car and driving off.
The incident began at her now former home in Nottingham, around 5.30 pm on 30 June 2023.
Police attended after a member of the public reported the disturbance. Searches were carried out and Dunka was found hiding in the garden. He tried to run off but was quickly arrested nearby.
Dunka was subsequently charged and he pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and breaching a restraining order which was imposed in November 2022.
Dunka, of Nottingham was jailed for two years and four months when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday (11 January 2024). He was also made subject of an indefinite restraining order.
The court heard that Dunka’s previous convictions included multiple offences committed against the victim, including assault.
In her impact statement, the victim, who suffered cuts to her arm and a black eye, said she felt her ordeal ‘was never going to stop’.
She also added that it was going to take her a long time before she stopped feeling like she had to ‘look over her shoulder and stop living in fear’ of Dunka.
Detective Constable Harry Glass, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was a terrifying ordeal for the victim who was held captive in her home for five hours.
“While she wasn’t left with serious physical injuries, the emotional distress she suffered was substantial. This incident understandably left her feeling scared and she has since had to give up her own home and move as a result of what happened to her.
“I would like to commend her for her bravery during our investigation and I hope the prison sentence and fresh restraining order given to Dunka provide her with some measure of comfort and she can now move forward.”
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