The boyfriend of the British woman who was last seen aboard her luxury catamaran in the United States Virgin Islands was arrested for domestic violence ten years ago after attacking his ex-wife and breaking her tooth, according to reports.
Sarm Heslop, 41, of Southampton, was last seen on the evening of March 7 on board the 47-foot Siren Song, which was moored in Frank Bay, St. John, officials said.
Her 44-year-old American boyfriend, Ryan Bane, is said to have a lawyer and refuses to allow the police to search his ship.
It was reported that he alerted the United States Coast Guard about 10 hours after noticing the disappearance of the former flight attendant, whom he met on Tinder.
Bane was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in 2011, when he was married to Corie Stevenson, according to The Sun, who said he obtained a police report from that time.
He was arrested at his home and served 21 days behind bars after throwing his wife on the floor and hitting her head, breaking her tooth, the media reported.
“Ryan’s personality changed after we were married. It was a beautiful wedding in 2008, but it was like he had turned a button, ”Stevenson told The Sun.
She reported it to the police after the 2011 incident, which occurred when they were returning from a wedding at their home on Lake Orion, near Detroit, according to The Sun.
Bane, who had been drinking, became “abusive” to her on the trip home, according to the police report seen by The Sun.
“Ryan grabbed (Corie) and dragged her out of the truck,” she said to the police officer who wrote the report, who adds: “Ryan grabbed her in the dining room, threw her on the floor and hit her head on the floor, chipping one of your teeth.
“She says she fought her Ryan. She says that Ryan has become increasingly verbally aggressive towards her and that he has been physically aggressive once, ”says the report.
“She says that this incident happened about 6 months ago, that it was not reported and that she lost several days of work with marks on her face.
“When Ryan was brought down, (Corie) was visibly scared and ran from the area to the laundry room,” he added.
Bane was taken to Oakland County Jail in Michigan after being arrested on suspicion of domestic violence.
“I was absolutely terrified while it was happening. I saw the devil behind your eyes and it scared me. It was a totally different person who was there. It was petrifying, ”Stevenson told The Sun.
“I was already terrified when he pulled me out of the truck. But during the attack my fear reached an entirely different level. “
In addition to the chipped tooth, she had a bloody earlobe, as well as scratches on her shoulder and neck, according to a police report.
“My face was all red and my tooth was broken. A few days later, my face was black and blue and I had fingerprints around my neck, ”said Stevenson.
Bane pleaded guilty and served 21 days in prison. He also spent another 31 days behind bars for a 2013 parole violation, according to court documents cited by The Sun.
Stevenson, who now lives in Melbourne, Florida, said she allowed him to return home after the separation, but the couple divorced in 2014.
The Virgin Islands Police Department said it continued to search for the missing woman.
Bane’s lawyer, David Cattie, said his client immediately called 911 when he realized his girlfriend was missing.