Man who found his family dead inside van jailed for abusing girlfriend

A man who found his mother and 17-year-old teenage sister dead inside his burger van has been jailed for abusing his girlfriend, after a judge ruled that the trauma from their deaths was 'no excuse'. 

A court heard how Tyla Wanstall, 29, subjected his partner to months of threats, violence, and controlling behaviour.

He carried out a sustained campaign of abuse which left his victim with physical injuries and even at one point fearing that she would be thrown from a bridge. 

Canterbury Crown Court heard he had struggled with PTSD after discovering his loved ones' lifeless bodies, after they died of carbon monoxide poisoning at his Whitstable food truck in February 2023. 

But while accepting that he had 'suffered considerably', Judge Simon James said it was 'difficult to equate' his mental health problems with the 'protracted and serious abuse' he went on to inflict. 

The court was told that over a prolonged period since September 2024, Wanstall subjected his victim to 'regular and methodical' attempts to control her life, as well as death threats and acts of violence peppered with 'a degree of degradation and humiliation.' 

This included spitting in her face, calling her a 'sl**', punching her in the arm, face and stomach, striking her with a stool, repeatedly accusing her of cheating, and bombarding her with calls from an unknown number after she blocked him. 

On one occasion, he threatened to 'snap her jaw' and kill their pet. On another, he dragged the woman by her hair to the edge of a bridge, leaving her fearing that she would be thrown over the railings, before telling her she 'wasn't worth going to jail for' and pushing her away. 

On Wednesday, Wanstall, from Kent, was told that a prison sentence was the only justifiable punishment for such behaviour. 

The court heard that after meeting in October 2023, he and the woman began exchanging messages via Snapchat. 

Although this led to them starting a relationship, 'cracks' started to appear and she reported feeling 'confused' when introduced as his girlfriend, said prosecutor Paul Valder. 

After finding out that she had met up with another man, he 'screamed' down the phone at her, called her continually after she hung up, and then sent a text saying he loved her and 'wanted to sort the situation out'. 

Things worsened, the court heard, when, after she agreed to see him. Wanstall drove her to his caravan, punched her, and demanded to know who she had been seeing. 

'He stopped on a bridge over the Thanet Way, got out, went to her side of the car, dragged her from the car by her hair to the edge of the bridge while screaming at her,' said Mr Valder.

'She thought he was going to throw her off, but he then said words to the effect that she wasn't worth him going to jail for and pushed her away.'

Once back in the car, he spat in her face and started calling her names, the prosecutor added. 

Following that incident, she blocked Wanstall's number, only for him to call her more than 100 times from a withheld number. 

She was said to have 'relented', however, and got back in contact with him, as this was the first time he was violent towards her. 

'He apologised and said he loved her,' the prosecutor told the court. 'She felt the same, so they got back together. However, their difficulties continued.' 

Another outburst in December 2024 occurred after the victim was seen by Wanstall talking to another man on a night out with friends. 

Once back at his home, he accused her of 'always' cheating, swung an axe around in a bid to threaten her, and then grabbed a stool, smashed it on the ground and hit her in the ankle.

The next day, the 'amateur rapper' apologised and took her shopping in what Mr Valder called 'a means to stop her from reporting him'.  

But the threats and violence continued for several months. In one incident, Wanstall threatened to snap her jaw after she posted a video of herself on social media set to the music of 'a rival'. 

The prosecutor said: 'She recorded the call and the defendant sounded beside himself with rage.' 

On another occasion, while out driving, he grabbed the victim by her hair and smacked her head against the centre console and window, punched her in the face, causing a black eye, and then hit her in the stomach. 

He also turned up at her workplace, telling her he 'loved her so much he was going crazy', the court was told.

Wanstall, of Thanet Way, was finally arrested in August last year and initially gave a 'no comment' interview. 

He went on to describe the victim as 'antagonistic and spiteful', which the prosecution accepted was borne out in some of their TikTok exchanges. 

He also accused her of sleeping with one of his friends, denied hitting her, and claimed she also attacked him.

Although Wanstall initially pleaded not guilty to all offences against him, by February this year he had admitted multiple charges, including assault by beating, controlling or coercive behaviour, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and making a threat to kill. 

However, the court was told at his sentencing hearing that the victim had 'completely withdrawn from police contact' and had not provided a statement addressing the impact of her former partner's conduct.

James Harrison, defending, said 'significant mitigation and explanation' could be found 'in the context of the relationship starting very soon after' the death of his mother and sister. 

The impact of that loss, coupled with the defendant's sense of responsibility for it, 'carried through' into what was an 'ill-defined, highly emotive, intense and toxic' relationship, the lawyer said.

'There were clearly times when she was dating others and removing herself from the relationship, no doubt with good cause due to the way she was being treated,' Mr Harrison told the court.

'But the times when she was leaving him were difficult for him, in light of what happened and his loss, to process.'

Referring to the content of their messages and the use of 'very forceful language and threats' on both sides, Mr Harrison continued: 'These were two individuals ill-equipped to deal with an adult relationship.'

The court was also told that aside from Wanstall's PTSD diagnosis, his ADHD made him prone to 'reckless and impulsive' behaviour, particularly when angry or in a heightened emotional state.

However, on jailing Wanstall for three years, Judge Simon James said he was 'unconvinced' that his conduct was entirely attributable to his poor mental health.

He told Wanstall: 'You have admitted a protracted and serious course of domestic abuse against your former partner.

'Over a period of a year, you sought to coerce and control her, and used threats and violence in order to do so.

'Although it is clear you have endured tragedy and have suffered considerable mental health issues following the untimely loss of your mother and sister, it is somewhat difficult to equate what is known about your mental health with such protracted and serious abuse of another.

'This was not an isolated incident of loss of control but a regular and methodical attempt to control another by threats and violence.

'I remain unconvinced that all of your behaviour can be considered impulsive and directly linked to your PTSD, anxiety, depression or residual symptoms of ADHD.'

On the subject of being able to spare Wanstall jail time, he added: 'It is necessary for me to make clear that even if the law permitted me to suspend your sentence, I am forced to the conclusion that your overall offending is too serious to justify anything other than an immediate sentence of imprisonment.' 

Wanstall will have to serve half his jail term, less time spent on remand, before he is released on licence. 

An inquest into the deaths of 50-year-old Leah Churchill and Brooke Wanstall, 17, heard they suffered fatal levels of carbon monoxide after turning on a petrol generator for heat or lighting. 

They had been decorating Tyla Wanstall's Meat 'n' Greet snack wagon off Old Thanet Way in Whitstable, Kent, with banners and balloons as a surprise to mark his birthday. 

He then made the horrific discovery of their bodies when he arrived in the morning to open up the mobile food van.