The wife of a hard-drinking, gambling addict moved to two different countries to get away from him but he tracked her down to Nottinghamshire and threatened to kill her. In a victim impact statement, the partner of Sandu Sava told how she genuinely believes her husband will end her life when he is released from jail.
The 48-year-old father-of-three followed her from Italy, to Romania and then to the United Kingdom where he promised her he had changed his ways and she was too scared to turn him away. But almost immediately after moving back in with her, the defendant began a campaign of domestic violence, almost always when he was drunk and arguments erupted over his booze consumption and his gambling.
Jailing Sava for two-and-a-half years at Nottingham Crown Court, Judge Mark Watson said: “You instilled in her a fear of violence on many occasions, your pre-sentence report concludes that you have shown no remorse or insight into your behaviour and you pose a high risk of causing serious harm. The issue in your relationship is drinking and gambling and when those subjects were raised you would shout her down and damage her property and she did not report matters to the police as she was frightened about your behaviour.
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“Over the past decade she has lived in fear of you both in Italy, Romania and now here. She had fled from other countries to get away from you because you have been persistently aggressive towards her.”
Aaron Dinnes, prosecuting, said Dava and his wife had been together for 27 years and have three children together. He said for the past decade or more their relationship had been punctuated with domestic violence causing her to move from Italy to Romania and then to Mansfield to get away from him.
The prosecutor said the defendant tracked her down and she allowed him into her home fearing what he might do if she did not. Mr Dinnes said: “He made her promises he had changed but one day in April 2023 he came home drunk and there was an argument about this during which he jumped on her and slapped her repeatedly.
“Their daughter heard screams and came into the room and the assault ended. Then, in August, the complainant again took refuge in her daughter’s bedroom during another incident.
“Then, on September 25 in the afternoon, the defendant had been arrested and was outside the property where he said he would kill the complainant one day after she had taken their daughter to school. He was interviewed and admitted all of the problems stemmed from drinking and gambling.”
Sava, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour and making threats to kill. He has no previous convictions in the UK, the prosecutor said.
Mr Dinnes read out a victim impact statement made by the wife. He said in it she said: “Even with him being in prison I am still looking over my shoulder and I am terrified that when he is released he will come and kill me.”
Digby Johnson, mitigating, said his client was well aware that he would be going to prison and that it was “just a case of how long for”. He said: “He understands there is a problem with drink and he understands there are problems within the relationship and he knows it has come to the point where it has no future.”
As well as the jail term, the judge handed the defendant a lifetime restraining order not to contact his wife or their youngest daughter. He said as Sava arrived on a tourist visa he is likely to be deported back to Romania when he is released from jail.
Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline can be contacted 24-7 on 0808 2000 247