A frugal boyfriend is currently in jail for domestic abuse after forcing his depressed partner to count their supply of firewood, ration their dishwasher tablets, and even forbid her from purchasing gifts for her grandchildren.
Michael Marsh, a 55-year-old shift worker, received a sizable inheritance from his deceased mother, but he became so “obsessed” with saving money and accumulating a pension that he refused to give any of it to his live-in girlfriend Aileen Till.
Miss Till, 54, was instructed by Miserly Marsh of Warrington, Cheshire, to check the shed outside their house at night to make sure no logs were missing.
She was never given more than one dishwasher tablet at a time to use for washing pots and pans because he thought she was sharing them.
In order to prevent criticizing her for wasting money, the victim, a company manager, would also falsely pretend she had been given lunch everytime she saw her daughter.
Marsh forced Miss Till to sleep in the rain on their storm porch after she rebelled against him.
After a violent altercation, she was subsequently kicked out of the £300,000 Warrington, Cheshire, home she shared with him.
Marsh was found guilty of coercive behavior and assault at Chester magistrates court after a trial. His punishment will come later.
He received a sizable inheritance from his late mother in 2019, but the court heard that he was so preoccupied with money that he would assert that even the homeless should have savings.
He had paid cash for the house he and Miss Till were living in during their 15 years of dating. He also took out a loan for renovations totaling £50,000, which she contributed to through a standing order.
To the hearing’s dismay, Miss Till, a senior customer relations manager for an energy company, sobbed as she testified, “He did not share any of the money and would spend it on car registrations – he was completely obsessed with them.”
He became obsessed at that time with the idea that our neighbor was stealing the logs we use for our log burner. He forced me to count them because he believed they were disappearing.
“I was so ashamed, but he helped me get up at night and count the logs.” Early morning was in full swing. He believed he had heard our neighbor scale a six-foot fence in order to steal logs.
‘I did not want the neighbour to know that is what he was thinking. Then there were the dishwasher tablets. Every time I went to put the dishwasher on I thought I was going mad as there was only one in the bag. I could not understand it as I had been shopping.
“I said we required more purchases. I was only permitted to use one dishwasher tablet at a time, though, because he claimed that I was selling them to my daughter.
Miss Till claimed Marsh was so “obsessed” with money that he wouldn’t let her buy her daughter or grandchildren, who are six and eight, any presents or spend any money on herself.
He insisted that all of their extra cash should go “into the pot” toward the retirement-style home they hoped to purchase on the island of Anglesey in North Wales, despite the fact that she had her own bank account and savings.
She said, “He wouldn’t have let me give financial aid, so I’d go meet my daughter when he was on shift so he didn’t know.”
If I did let him know I had met her, I would say that she had bought me breakfast or lunch. I was concerned he would believe I had spent money on her. I was told not to give her any money by him. I had to send it in the direction of Anglesey.
Because “it wasn’t worth it,” Miss Till added, she would not invite her family to visit. “I could not tell my daughter that he hated kids,” the woman said.
Marsh was seen making 15 cups of coffee without providing her with one during a Miss Till-led online Teams meeting. When she volunteered to assist the homeless during the holidays, he also yelled and screamed at her.
I could not do anything correctly, and it was embarrassing, she said. He doesn’t realize that there are those who are less fortunate than him. He would assert that homeless individuals ought to have savings. After that, no more volunteer work was done.
The following would be discussed with him after a friend had visited: “She’s coming, but why? What do you offer her? She must have a purpose for being here.” I felt lonely as a result. I could not talk to anyone because I was struggling. She vowed to the court, “I would prevent her from visiting the property, and I would not let him know I was meeting her.”
“My sister-in-law and my brother came over for dinner, but it was terrible and they left early,” I said. “My brother had just lost his daughter, and I wanted to support him. Because they were “not his type of people,” I was informed, I was not permitted to see them. I attempted to argue that it was also my home, but he insisted that he had the right to set the rules because it was his home.
“Before the relationship deteriorated in January 2020, I was quite strong. My work was accountable. I oversaw a group. I had a lot of respect. I was in charge of my own life, and everyone complimented me on how nice I was.
But ever since, I’ve been left broken. To lead a team at work while maintaining my false sense of well-being, I would have to go to work. On the phone with friends, I would pretend to be fine even though I wasn’t.
“At home, I was finding it more and more difficult.” I had to get out of here, I knew. I did everything—I cleaned, I cooked. Why he seemed to hate me so much all of a sudden baffled me.
Finally, I told him I was going to tell my family and friends, and that’s when he started trying to ruin me. He stated “Leave my house, please. Being a tenant, you “I was stuck with nowhere to go. He claimed he wanted to see me in that situation. He wanted to carry trash bags through the streets and be seen. My anxiety made me ill. Everything was gone for me.
In the hallway, he grabbed me and pushed me to the ground. My top was torn while he was screaming in my face. I was stunned.
Earlier, Michael O’Kane, the prosecutor, stated: “The complainant’s mental health has been significantly impacted by the defendant’s behavior, resulting in her taking time off work.”
He repeatedly locked her out of the house, forcing her to spend the night in the storm porch. This was an embarrassing occurrence. One of those occasions resulted in her being caught in the rain. Additionally abusive to the complainant, the defendant called her names and said she was worthless.
Marsh asserted that Miss Till made up her story after he sent her an eviction notice while denying assault and coercive behavior. Allegations that he took away her stereo system, concealed her car key to prevent her from driving for six weeks, and prevented her from lighting the log burner were dropped.