A man who subjected his then partner to frequent verbal and physical violence has been jailed for 33 months.

Michael Keane, 38, a father-of-five from Liverpool, admitted a domestic abuse charge.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, his ex said: ‘I don’t understand why he treated me the way he did. I thought he loved me.’

The two had entered a relationship after meeting at a party in October 2023.

For the first few months they shared their time between the defendant’s address in Liverpool and her home in the island.

But only two to three weeks into their relationship, Keane began to verbally abuse her.

This turned to physical violence, with him striking his partner on a regular basis.

And this increased in frequency when he moved to the Isle of Man in January last year to live with her full-time.

He made her hide her bruises, barricaded the front door with a mattress and used her dog to control her, prosecutor Roger Kane told the court.

In early April Keane hit her face and body 15 times.

She crept out and rang her sister who supported her in making a complaint to the police.

He was bailed on the condition that he did not contact her directly or indirectly.

Despite this, they continued regular contact.

On April 19 he punched her after losing his temper, leaving her with significant bruising to her nose.

He subsequently entered her flat without permission and sent her abusive messages.

In a basis of plea, Keane admitted striking her on a number of occasions but insisted he had not kicked her, or cut her hair, or hidden her medication as she had alleged.

He said a mattress had been put up against the front door to make it secure but not for the purpose of keeping her in the property.

Defence advocate David Reynolds said it was a relationship ‘doomed to fail’.

Deemster Graeme Cook said the most appalling thing Keane did was check her underwear to ensure she hadn’t had sex with another man.

He said the victim was extremely vulnerable.

The Deemster jailed Keane for 33 months.

He will serve half that behind bars, less time served on remand, before being released on licence.

He will be excluded from the island for a period of five years after his release from prison.

The Deemster also imposed a restraining order, preventing Keane from contacting his victim directly or indirectly.

A not guilty verdict was formally entered in relation to a charge of witness intimidation.