Charlie Stefano, 33, of Dagenham, was sentenced to 2 years and 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to intentional strangulation and causing actual bodily harm during an early-hours assault in Chatham on 13 February 2026.
Stefano grabbed his victim twice by the throat — once as he dragged her across a floor, and again as he held her over a staircase. He kicked her hard enough to cause swelling to her ankle and snapped her phone in half. She fled the address and made it to a nearby petrol station, where members of the public called police on her behalf.
Kent Police arrested Stefano later that same day. He pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to both charges. Two further counts — criminal damage and engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour — were ordered to lie on file.
At sentencing on 18 August 2026, the court handed down a six-year restraining order alongside the prison term.
Detective Sergeant Leighton Prior, of Kent Police, said the woman had been left traumatised but commended her courage in supporting the prosecution. He described Stefano as “a clear danger to women” who is now behind bars.