Thug, 50, who strangled pub landlady fiancée in her 40s, abandoned her in Prague and called her ‘mental’ during foul-mouthed rows during abusive seven-year relationship is spared jail

A thug who bullied and strangled his ex-fiancée during their abusive seven-year relationship has been spared jail.

Shiree Fisher lived in fear of Jonathan Tucker after he exploited her history of post-natal depression to humiliate and bully her, a court heard.

During booze-fuelled temper tantrums, Tucker, 50, strangled Ms Fisher, who is in her 40s, branded her ‘mental’ and cruelly mocked her when she wet herself out of pure fear. 

Chester Crown Court was also told that Tucker abandoned Ms Fisher in the centre of Prague at night on a holiday to celebrate his birthday – forcing her to find her own way back to their hotel.

She eventually went to police after calling time on their relationship – only for Tucker to fly in a rage and declare: ‘I will launch you through the f***ing window’, the court heard. 

Tucker, who now lives in Bristol and works as a bus driver, pleaded guilty to engaging in controlling behaviour and was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and the Building Better Relationships programme. 

He was also banned from contacting the victim for five years under the terms of a restraining order. 

Jonathan Tucker (seen with ex-fiancée Shiree Fisher) avoided jail after admitting to controlling behaviour

Ms Fisher was living in fear of her ex-fiancé, Chester Crown Court heard, who exploited her history of post-natal depression to humiliate and bully her

Ms Fisher – who with Tucker ran the Gardeners Arms (pictured) near Stoke-on-Trent, and then the Linley Tavern in Alsagar, Cheshire – said she was left too scared to leave her home following his arrest

In a statement Ms Fisher – who with Tucker ran the Gardeners Arms near Stoke-on-Trent, and then the Linley Tavern in Alsagar, Cheshire – said she was left too scared to leave her home following his arrest, and had locks fitted on interior doors and the front lock changed before moving away. Both pubs are now under different management.

She added: ‘As a landlady, I used to be a sociable person but I believe he used me for somewhere to live rather than us being in a genuine relationship.

‘I couldn’t maintain proper contact with my daughter as this would cause arguments with him and I feel like I let my daughter down. 

‘I now constantly apologise to people, even when I have done nothing wrong as I am frightened to upset anyone. I just go along with what people say just to agree – it’s like I have no fight left in me.

‘I just want to be the person I was before I met him, and I am so frustrated I don’t like who I am anymore.

‘I am not fun anymore and can’t do what I used to enjoy doing. I am so overwhelmed with fear, but it makes me angry that he has taken who I was away from me and I just want to get back to the old Shiree.’

The pair began dating in 2016 and moved into lodgings above the pub. In 2018 they got engaged with Ms Fisher saying on Facebook: ‘He [Tucker] a deffo keeper…my rock.’

At court, Tucker – who now lives in Bristol and works as a bus driver – pleaded guilty to engaging in controlling behaviour and was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and the Building Better Relationships programme. He was also banned from contacting the victim for five years under the terms of a restraining order

The pair began dating in 2016 and in 2018 they got engaged with Ms Fisher saying on Facebook: ‘He [Tucker] a deffo keeper…my rock’

But prosecutor Ms Jade Tufail said: ‘Problems began to develop in their relationship and they would often argue. This would happen when he had had a drink, which is something he began to do heavily after their move to the Gardeners Arms.

‘During the relationship the defendant would belittle Ms Fisher and this made her feel worthless. He would constantly call Ms Fisher names like ‘c***’, ‘t***’, and ‘p****’. He would call her ‘mental’ which Miss Fisher describes as having ‘got to her’ because she had previously suffered with post-natal depression.’

Ms Tufail added that the couple would argue constantly, often resulting in Tucker leaving before remorsefully coming back and reconciling.

Tucker would apparently tell his partner that he could not live without her, which the prosecution said made Ms Fisher feel guilty about thinking of leaving him for fear that he would commit suicide. 

The prosecution detailed that the first instance of Tucker assaulting Ms Fisher was in 2018, when he pushed over, sat on her stomach and strangled her.

The aforementioned Prague visit came the following February.

Ms Tufail added: ‘Miss Fisher was afraid of being left by the defendant again and not being able to get home so, although she felt uneasy and scared after this, she went out of her way to be overly nice to him to keep the peace.’

That summer, Ms Fisher drove home from the Lake District with her hungover partner, who told her she was insured on the car. However, they were pulled over by police and the driver was given six penalty points on her licence for driving without insurance.

The prosecutor continued to describe a second time the defendant strangled Ms Fisher, in 2022, when he ‘pinned’ her to the bedroom wall. Ms Fisher said she was so afraid on that occasion that she wet herself, which Tucker made fun of her for. 

The former-landlady finally told Tucker she wanted to end their relationship early in 2023, resulting in yet another argument. 

The pair took each others keys and Tucker said: ‘You better do [give his back] or I will launch you through the f***ing window.’

Ms Fisher said she took this as a ‘genuine threat’ due to her past-experience but the defendant ultimately left.

She called her daughter, who phoned the police, as Tucker was outside the property – where he was then arrested.

Tucker was later bailed told not to contact Ms Fisher. However, he emailed her saying that he was close to her home and told her: ‘I will not give up on our relationship.’ In police interview he maintained the victim was ‘manipulative and controlling’.

In mitigation, defence counsel Adam Watkins said: ‘This was a seven year relationship and across those seven years there were many good times for the couple but bluntly there were far too many bad times and these were bad times for which he bears responsibility.

‘He would say the anger and the tension that he would allow to come to the surface were unique in that relationship. He has had two long-term relationships that predated this relationship with Miss Fisher including a 14 year relationship, from which he has two children. Not only did they not result in court appearances but there was no suggestion of domestic violence or similar in these long term relationships.’

Sentencing Tucker, Judge Patrick Thompson told him: ‘No doubt the relationship started off well but you started using too much alcohol and it was then that the problems occurred. The answer is not to act as a bully yet you humiliated her and when you grabbed her throat she wet herself. It was horrible behaviour.

‘If someone did that to your daughter I know exactly what you would want to do to them. But you have moved away and got yourself a new job in an industry that does not involve alcohol. I think it is important that you keep busy – it will probably keep you out of the pub.’