Notorious Gangster John Gizzi Gets 4 Years 11 Months for Attacks
John Gizzi, once known as Rhyl's Mr Big, has been sentenced to four years and 11 months for coercive control of Natasha Farah and strangling her sister Samantha. The judge called it one of the worst cases of coercive control that can be contemplated.
Notorious gangster John Gizzi, 55, of St Asaph, Denbighshire, has been sentenced to four years and 11 months for coercive and controlling behaviour against Natasha Farah and the intentional strangulation of her sister Samantha.
The judge gave him four years for the coercive control and 11 months for the strangulation, to be served consecutively.
Shouts of "beast" and "rot in hell" were heard from the public gallery as the sentence was read. An end violence against women protest took place outside the court, where Samantha Farah was pictured.
Judge Mills told Gizzi: "You would use dreadful misogynistic language to her on a regular basis. It's part of the process of humiliating and belittling a person destroying her sense of confidence and self worth." He described it as "one of the worst cases of coercive control that can be contemplated".
The charges
Gizzi had been due to stand trial on five charges. He instead pleaded guilty to three at Mold Crown Court in September.
He admitted coercive and controlling behaviour against Natasha Farah between March 1, 2025 and April 8, 2026. He also admitted intentional strangulation of her sister Samantha on April 3 this year.
The third plea was to failing to disclose a mobile phone's PIN to police on April 27, 2026.
The assaults on Natasha Farah happened on multiple occasions, including in July and December last year and on February 13, March 15 and in July this year. One took place inside a vehicle.
He is also alleged to have controlled what clothes she wore, verbally abused her, pursued her in his car and accused her of infidelity.
Rhyl's "Mr Big"
Gizzi was once known as Rhyl's Mr Big. He lived in a £1.75m home near St Asaph Cathedral, drove a £100,000 Bentley and wore Rolex watches. His spending appeared to be funded by his building business.
He was jailed in 2006, aged 34, after beating up two homeless men with wooden staves. He also admitted conspiracy to supply counterfeit cigarettes and asked the court to take 22 offences of mortgage fraud, involving almost £1.5m, into consideration.
Gizzi was ordered to repay £2.6m under the Proceeds of Crime Act, a figure later reduced to £1m. Assets sold to raise it included the St Asaph home, which fetched £800,000, 20 other mortgage properties, a Rolex and a fleet of luxury cars.
He was released after serving three years of a five-and-a-half year sentence.
