Former boxer who subjected woman to years of violence jailed for five years

A former boxer has been jailed for five years after subjecting a woman to years of sexual and physical abuse.

Ryan Warden, 35, perpetrated a catalogue of abusive and controlling behaviour towards the victim at addresses in Perth and Scone.

A judge told him at the High Court in Edinburgh: “In light of the gravity of the offences which you have committed, I am satisfied a custodial sentence is the only appropriate disposal in your case.”

Lord Renucci said Warden’s offending took in a broad range of abusive and controlling behaviour and included instances of physical and sexual abuse.

The judge said that of particular concern were two occasions when Warden restricted the breathing of the victim to the danger of her life.

He said a background report prepared on the offender made “worrying reading” given the lack of insight he showed. He said: “You have expressed no remorse for your actions.”

Lord Renucci said a risk assessment carried out on Warden indicated that he posed a high risk of re-offending.

The judge ordered that he should be under supervision and monitored for a further three years, when he will be on licence and can be returned to jail if he breaches the conditions.

Warden earlier denied a series of charges during a trial at the High Court in Stirling but was convicted of two offences – one of engaging in a course of abusive behaviour towards the woman and a second of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

During his abusive conduct in June 2024, he seized the woman by her face and put his hands over her mouth, restricting her breathing in a potentially life-threatening attack.

He struck again a month later when he put a hand over her mouth and placed an arm around her neck, and again restricted her breathing.

During the incident in July 2024, he caused the woman to destroy her own mobile phone, carried out a penetrative sex act on her without her consent and refused to let her leave a house in Perth.

Days earlier, he recorded video footage of her on his phone during sexual activity without her consent.

Warden repeatedly phoned the woman and sent letters and emails. He also repeatedly accused her of infidelity and compelled her to take part in a lie detector test.

He shouted and swore at the victim, checked her mobile phone, controlled her clothing choices and demanded to know her whereabouts during the controlling behaviour between 2022 and 2026.

Warden also threatened to kill himself, and on one occasion, punched a car windscreen and broke it.

He also told the woman that she should refuse to co-operate with the police and attempted to influence her to fail to turn up for trial proceedings while he was in Perth prison.

Defence counsel Duncan McPhie told the court: “Ryan Warden was at one stage a promising boxer. He boxed for Britain.”

But he said that at the age of 21, Warden was the victim of an assault in which he received a brain injury.

The defence counsel said: “He is realistic. He accepts that a custodial sentence is inevitable.”