A UK judge has come under fire for telling a man who admitted to controlling his former fiancée to forget her as there are “lots more fishes in the sea”.

Alexander Heavens, 24, from Greater Manchester, admitted to engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour in an intimate relationship, the Telegraph reported.

Coercive and controlling behaviour was made a criminal offence under the Serious Crime Act 2015. It encompasses a range of behaviour, and is defined by Women’s Aid as “an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten a victim”.

UK judge tells convicted abuser that there are “lots more fishes in the sea”