An estate agency owner has been jailed for two years after inflicting what has been described as a “reign of terror” over his then girlfriend and employee.

Matthew Pahlavan, owner of Truemans Estate Agents, in Hove, appeared at Lewes Crown Court this week having pleaded guilty to assault by beating, putting a person in fear of violence by harassment and sending communications with intent to cause distress or anxiety at an earlier hearing.

The 41-year-old estate agent, who is from Hove, told the woman who worked for Truemans Estate Agency in Church Road, Hove, that he would burn her house down, smash a mirror in her face and kill her during the prolonged abuse between February and September 2023.

Sentencing Pahlavan, Judge Martin Huseiyn said: “This is a very serious case. It falls into high culpability. There are multiple methods you used to impose a reign of terror, or domination.

“You mistreated her time and time again. There is tracking of her, another aspect of dominating her, threatening quite serious violence saying you will smash her face with a mirror, burn her house down and on multiple occasions threatening to kill her.

“By driving your car at her vehicle, it was a real fear that real violence would be used. She knew that you would, or could, carry out those threats so took them seriously.

“It can be summarised as being completely dominated and left her, as she puts it, a shadow of her former self.”

The judge added: “There is little evidence of remorse. I don’t think there is strong evidence of rehabilitation. You remain a danger to this, or any other woman you have a relationship with.

“You dominated the victim with accusations of a sexual nature, promiscuity. It’s all about sexual or gendered domination. It portrays an attitude about how you might treat other women.”

The court heard evidence recorded by Pahlavan’s victim of a conversation between the pair when she tried to end their relationship.

She said to him: “Let’s just call it a day. Walk away quietly.”

He replied by screaming: “What?!”

The victim said: “Let’s just call it a day, quietly. It’s dead.

Pahlavan responded: “I don’t do quietly you c**t. Listen, I’m on my way to you, you fat c**t. I’ll f****** smash you up, I’ll smash your house up. You f****** liar. Listen you f****** c***, shut your mouth. Stop upsetting me. I’ll f****** make you dead, you c***.”

Pahlavan waited outside his victim’s home on 18 April 2023 and waited for her to return.

The court was told:

On April 22, after an argument, he drove his car at her vehicle, forcing her to flee her own property.

On July 25, Pahlavan poked his victim in the chest and grabbed her forearm, causing minor bruising. Three days later, he said he would burn her house down.

When the pair were both at work on 17 September, Pahlavan said he would smash a mirror in his victim’s face.

He was arrested two days later and spent a week in prison before he was released on a tag with a strict curfew.

Pahlavan was sentenced to two years imprisonment and told to pay £250 to his victim. He was also given a restraining order.