The co-founder of an estate agency in Cornwall has pleaded guilty to a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in relation to an incident involving his former girlfriend.
Gareth Wills, of Old Well Gardens, Penryn, appeared at Truro Crown Court last week, where he entered a guilty plea after an initial hearing. The allegation is related to an incident of December 8, 2025.
The 47-year-old man was convicted again in court, where the prosecution accepted his plea.
The court heard the offense fell within sentencing guidelines, with the starting point being 18 months’ imprisonment, with a range of between 36 weeks and two years. The judge indicated that, under current sentencing practice, any custodial sentence imposed could be less than 12 months and ordered a pre-sentence report.
The court was told that Wills had previous convictions for harassment related to a business dispute, although he had no previous convictions for violence or domestic-related offences.
He was remanded on existing bail conditions and directed to continue to co-operate with probation services prior to sentencing, which is scheduled to take place at a later date.
Wills, co-founder of Lewis Houghton Wills Estate Agency, which has branches in Falmouth, Penryn and Truro, was jailed for two-and-a-half years in 2022 after pleading guilty to harassment and breaching restraining orders, including posting threatening material on social media relating to former colleagues.
In 2024, he was also fined for breaching a restraining order following a social media post, with further restrictions imposed to prevent contact with named individuals and online comments about them.
Estate agency founder jailed after threatening to kill directors