Burgess gave evidence via video from her intensive care bed, recounting the terrifying attack. Easom, 56, now faces a sentence of up to life imprisonment.
The pair met in 2017 when Burgess was grieving the death of her husband, Craig, a musician who died from brain cancer. At the time, Burgess was teaching French and Spanish at a secondary school. Easom, who had previously worked as her sister’s gardener, quickly became controlling and abusive. Burgess documented repeated incidents of physical assault and coercive control on her mobile phone.
The final attack occurred in February this year after Burgess said she was leaving Easom. She described feeling her neck break as he shouted at her to “shut the f*** up” while continuing to press down on her head. “I kept thinking he’s going to stop now, and I’m going to die,” she told Preston Crown Court. “I couldn’t speak. I thought I was about to die.”
After the attack, Easom called 999, claiming Burgess had fallen out of bed, and later told police that they had been engaged in a “playfight that went wrong”. Police described Easom as having “a warped sense of entitlement and repulsive views towards women”.
Burgess described years of escalating abuse, including being forced to clean up spilt food, being headbutted or pushed against furniture, and being driven dangerously to frighten her. The violence began seven months into the relationship during a trip to York, where Easom threatened her, quoting the film Rambo: “Don’t push or I’ll give you a war.”
Despite periods of apology and apparent remorse, Easom’s abuse continued. In 2021, he attempted to strangle Burgess with a sheet during another trip to York. Police said Burgess became trapped in a “cycle of abuse”, with Easom belittling her whenever she tried to leave.
Burgess, who performed as Trudi Hide in the 1990s, including shows at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club and appearances on BBC Radio 1, now faces a long recovery. She spent three months in ICU on a ventilator and has spent seven months in a specialist spinal injuries unit. Her children, Gina and Jackson, have set up a GoFundMe campaign to support her ongoing care, stating: “The last ten months have been hellish. She is working towards whatever independence she can regain.”
Easom, from Chipping, Lancashire, admitted coercive and controlling behaviour and actual bodily harm but denied intending serious injury. He refused to give evidence in his defence. The jury found him guilty after just 27 minutes of deliberation. He is due to be sentenced in February.
Detective Constable Bethanie Kirk praised Burgess for her bravery, saying: “Robert Easom is a manipulative and controlling individual. His sustained abuse has had a profound and lasting impact on her life and her loved ones. I hope she can now begin rebuilding her life, free from his control.”
