Abused Natasha Farah and assaulted her sister: “Mr Big” sentenced to 4 years and 11 months in prison

John Gizzi, a former gangster known in Wales as “Mr Big,” has been sentenced to 4 years and 11 months in prison for abusing his partner, model Natasha Farah, and assaulting her sister, Samantha Farah. After months of abuse, Natasha attempted to take her own life and suffered severe brain injuries.

Mold Crown Court handed down the sentence after Gizzi admitted to controlling and coercive behaviour towards Natasha and to grabbing Samantha Farah by the throat and squeezing it. He also admitted failing to provide police with the PIN for a mobile phone when asked on 27 April 2026.

The period of controlling and coercive behaviour towards his partner that Gizzi admitted to ran from 1 March 2025 to 8 April 2026. The charge relating to the assault on Samantha Farah concerns 3 April.

Court records describe a series of humiliations and assaults against Natasha. Gizzi tried to dictate what she wore, repeatedly insulted her and physically abused her, including in public.

Incidents presented in court included punching her in a car park, assaulting her at a gym they attended and throwing a heavy gym weight towards her. The abuse had a severe impact on Natasha, a mother of one, who has been left with catastrophic health consequences following her suicide attempt.

The court heard that assaults had also taken place on Valentine’s Day, Boxing Day and Mother’s Day. Because of the abuse, Natasha has no happy memories of those days.

Gizzi also sent his partner threatening messages. In one, he told her that by ending her life she would be doing “everyone a favour”; in another, he threatened to end her life himself.

When Samantha tried to protect her sister, Gizzi grabbed her by the throat and squeezed it in a pub. Later, according to testimony given in court, he struck her with his SUV and threatened to “put her in a hole.”

Judge Simon Mills described the case as one of the most serious instances of coercive control imaginable in the context of domestic abuse. He also noted the frequently misogynistic and sexist language Gizzi used towards Natasha, saying that such insults serve to humiliate a person and destroy their self-esteem.

Mills said he could not sentence Gizzi for Natasha’s current state of health. However, he said police could open a new investigation if further evidence emerges.

Natasha’s mother, Denise, also spoke in court. She called Gizzi a “smiling, evil monster” and urged the judge to make an example of the case. Denise said her daughter had been left with brain injuries because of him and that the emotional impact on the family was like the worst kind of nightmare. Their lives, she said, would never be the same again.

Samantha Farah described her sister’s daily suffering and inability to communicate. She said Natasha was like a prisoner in her own body: she cries but cannot make a sound, and only her family can understand her. Samantha added that no sentence could give them back the life they had, her sister or the years they should have spent together.

In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed restraining orders and domestic abuse protection measures against Gizzi, valid for 15 years.

Gizzi has a long history of criminal convictions and is known to authorities in Wales. In 2006, he received a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence for beating two homeless people with wooden sticks; he was released after serving three years. In 2011, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison after admitting involvement in a conspiracy to bring cocaine into Wales.

After his release, he lived in a large villa in St Asaph, North Wales. Gizzi owned properties near the city’s cathedral worth around £1.75 million, drove a Bentley worth around £100,000 and was often seen wearing a luxury Rolex watch. He will now serve another prison sentence for abusing Natasha Farah and assaulting her sister.