A man who severely beat his partner on the night she died – but was not charged with murder – has been jailed for 15 years for the “cold-blooded, merciless” attack.

Duane Ballin, beat his girlfriend, Tara Newbold, 29, with a rolling pin, leaving her with at least 37 visible injuries from head to toe, before turning himself in to police saying: “I think I’ve killed my girlfriend.” He had abused her for years.

But after toxicology reports revealed she had cocaine in her system, police officers dropped a murder inquiry and charged Ballin, 36, with the less serious offence of grievous bodily harm with intent for which he was convicted in February and sentenced at Nottingham crown court on Monday.

Tara Newbold's death: 37 injuries but no murder charge Read more

Sentencing Ballin to an extended sentence, which are reserved for the most dangerous offenders, Judge Gregory Dickinson said: “There’s evidence you domineered, controlled and bullied Tara. That is crystal clear. What’s beyond question is that Tara’s relationship with you was bad for her.”

Ballin attacked Newbold on the night of 24 October 2016 after she demanded to know where he had been for the previous two days. The court heard he had been in a hotel with another woman on a cocaine binge. The row led to Ballin attacking her in “a cold-blooded, merciless beating”.

Tara Newbold. Photograph: Supplied by family

With three children in the house they shared in West Bridgford, Nottingham, Ballin beat her all over her body, leaving her with five broken ribs and a punctured lung. The youngest child, then three, witnessed some of the attack, the court heard.

Instead of calling an ambulance, Ballin searched the internet for symptoms of dying and death. In the early hours of the morning he took the children to his sister’s house and it was not until about 6am that he called paramedics. They found Newbold under a black duvet on the sofa, dead.

The judge said questions remained as to how Newbold ingested the cocaine and over Ballin’s failure to call an ambulance when she was still alive. He said in the last few weeks of her life, her home had become squalid, she had lost weight and become depressed and was increasingly shutting herself off from friends and family.

“For these children, the last memory of their mother is her crying, screaming and shouting: ‘Duane, stop.’ Dickinson said Ballin was a “continuing danger to women”.

The extended sentence includes an extended period of licence of three years on top of the 15 years in jail, taking the total term up to 18 years.



Unlike regular sentences which allow a prisoner to be eligible for parole halfway through the term, Ballin would not be able to be released until after 10 years, two-thirds of the sentence.



Julie and Peter Dury, Newbold’s mother and stepfather, who repeatedly called on the police and prosecutors to pursue a murder charge, said in a statement they “can’t help feeling a sense of hollow justice”.

“Until the police take seriously and investigate fully the circumstances behind Tara’s death, justice cannot be considered to have been fully served,” they said.



“Tara was a dedicated mother not just to her own children but to any she came into contact with, and she would not willingly have put them or their relationship with her in jeopardy. Our only comfort is she can no longer suffer at the hands of this evil, selfish and controlling person.”

The Durys are now pressing for a full inquest to resume into their daughter’s death. It is at the coroner’s discretion whether to hold an inquest after criminal proceedings have concluded.