A “troubled” man who was allegedly bombed, shot and stabbed during the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, has been jailed for a string of violent offences against his partner.
Gaberiel Gibson appeared at Maidstone Crown Court to be sentenced after he slammed his girlfriend’s head into a car window, put a nine-inch knife to her cheek, and strangled her.
The 47-year-old Maidstone resident met the woman in 2022 and things were going well until he turned abusive in January last year when they began to “argue regularly”, the court heard.
Prosecutor Jemima Lovatt explained how in April last year the couple had rowed after she found out he had more than 45 aliases which he used while living around the UK.
Later that day she asked him to drive her to the petrol station. While doing so, he pulled over and “slammed her head into the passenger window, causing excruciating pain and black eyes”.
On another morning that month, his partner was in bed when he ran in and climbed on top of her while brandishing a blade.
She was so concerned she recalled shaking with terror while asking him: “Are you going to kill me?”
‘Gibson then put his hand around her neck for around 30 seconds so she couldn’t breathe…’
Gibson apologised but later that summer his anger got the better of him again after his partner bought a £2,000 fridge – he damaged it by punching it.
That December, the two met up and went to the victim’s home where an argument broke out.
Ms Lovatt explained: “Gibson attacked her, forced her head into a pillow and punched it.
“He also punched her in the ribs and put her in an arm lock so she couldn’t move for a minute.
“Gibson then put his hand around her neck for around 30 seconds so she couldn’t breathe.”
The thug was arrested on December 22 and initially denied the offences, claiming his victim had injured herself.
He was charged with strangulation, criminal damage, assault causing ABH, and threatening someone with a knife.
Gibson was also charged with common assault after spotting a mother and her five-year-old son crossing the road near Royal Engineers Road in Maidstone, before grabbing the young boy’s hand and walking over the crossing with them and then kissing the woman on the cheek and saying: “I think we’d make a lovely family.”
In a victim impact statement, the mother revealed she’s now fearful of leaving her home alone and prevents her young son from going out with friends as well over concerns for his safety.
The court heard how Gibson, who is a qualified chef, had 41 convictions for 74 offences, including two for battery and a previous domestic violence incident in 2014.
In mitigation, Joe Barry, defending, explained how his client suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which “went some way to providing context” for the “troublesome” behaviour in the past couple of years.
Mr Berry explained how Gibson was working with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, during the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia in the 1990s.
In that time, he claimed to have been part of a convoy which was shelled – killing dozens of people in the process.
He says he was shot at by a sniper, stabbed by soldiers and saw up to 100 young babies and children pinned up against walls.
Mr Barry added: “He doesn’t just relieve the horror of that time but has survivor guilt. He is suffering from profound PTSD.”
Judge Gareth Branston sentenced Gibson to 20 months.
