AN AMMANFORD man who is alleged to have burst into his partner’s bedroom with a kitchen knife looking for another man has gone on trial accused of controlling or coercive behaviour.

Dane Bush, 36, of Pantyffynnon Road, is charged with engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour in a relationship.

It is alleged that he caused the complainant to fear on multiple occasions that he would be violent towards her between March 1 and August 22 last year.

Bush denies the offence.

Opening the case, prosecutor James Hartson said Bush and the complainant had been in a relationship for around two-and-a-half years. She had moved from Gloucester to move in with the defendant.

“It was after that move that the defendant’s behaviour towards her changed,” Mr Hartson said.

“She had no friends or family in Wales. She believes it was to isolate her.”

Mr Hartson alleged that Bush’s behaviour was “controlling from the start” after the complainant moved in, and that he coerced her in to taking out a loan for £2,000, took control over her finances, and would take her phone.

The defendant would criticise the complainant when she wore make-up and call her a “psychopath”, “mental”, and “crazy”, the prosecution alleged.

He said Bush’s actions were “deliberate” and “to devalue her”, and were “exacerbated by his use of cocaine”.

The court heard that on August 5, Bush was said to have accused the complainant of having another man in their bedroom, and walked in to the room carrying a large kitchen knife before “looking for evidence of that other man”.

“There was no other man,” Mr Hartson said.

Bush is alleged to have claimed that he was looking for an intruder or a burglar, and had brought the knife to protect himself.

The complainant recorded part of the incident on her phone, and this was played to the jury.

Commenting on the video, Mr Hartson said: “His eyes are as big as saucers because at the time he was off his face on cocaine.”

Bush is accused of, the following day, threatening to kill the complainant and her family if she showed the recording to anyone or reported it to the police.

On August 18, during another argument, Bush is alleged to have twice pushed the complainant after thinking she was recording him again.

“Four days later, [the complainant] had had enough and called the police,” Mr Hartson said.

The court heard that Bush denied the allegations and that his behaviour had had a serious effect on the complainant. Bush claimed that he was the victim of violence in the August 18 incident, and had pushed the complainant away in self-defence.

The trial continues.