A man accused of subjecting his girlfriend to years of violent domestic abuse has avoided a full criminal trial for multiple rape allegations following her death. Tianne Robinson, a 29-year-old celebrity hairstylist and beauty influencer widely known online as @finessethelace, died on 12 September 2025 from an unrelated blood clot. She was the daughter of late dancehall artist Tubby T and had built a large following on TikTok and Instagram, where she shared wig styling, makeup tutorials, and candid discussions about living with endometriosis.

Robinson’s former partner, Joel Osei, 33, was accused of repeatedly abusing her throughout their relationship, which began in 2021. Family members told the court that after meeting Osei, Tianne’s physical and emotional health rapidly declined, leaving her increasingly isolated and unable to care for herself.

This week at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Osei was sentenced to four years and two months in prison for a series of domestic abuse offences, including assault, strangulation, and controlling and coercive behaviour. However, four separate rape charges against him will not proceed, as prosecutors were unable to rely on Tianne’s video-recorded police statement after her death. Osei denies all rape allegations.

According to court proceedings reported by MyLondon, Osei’s abuse was extensive and escalating. He was accused of kicking and dragging Tianne across the floor, pressing a pillow over her face before strangling her, destroying her phone, and threatening to kill her if she tried to leave. He also allegedly warned he would bury her body in Epping Forest and set fire to her home using explosives.

On one occasion, following a bomb threat, Tianne managed to activate her phone’s emergency function and dial 999, allowing operators to hear Osei verbally abusing her before he seized the phone and ended the call. Police later attended another incident where they observed visible injuries to her neck after she reported being strangled. Osei was arrested but released after a month when Tianne declined to support the prosecution.

After his release, the court heard that the couple attended a nightclub where Tianne refused to participate in a threesome with another woman. Osei allegedly responded by tearing off her wig, forcing her onto the ground, kicking her, and dragging her away.

Osei also reportedly mocked Tianne’s endometriosis and her inability to have children, taunting her about a condition she had spoken about openly on social media. Court documents described his language toward her as degrading and abusive.

At the time he met Tianne, Osei already had an extensive criminal record, including convictions for robbery, knife possession, and serious assaults, though none involving women. During their relationship, his behaviour was described as increasingly volatile, aggressive, and controlling.

Speaking outside the court on Wednesday, 28 January, Tianne’s mother, Amanda Taylor, criticised the justice system, saying it had failed survivors of domestic abuse. She said Osei had “destroyed” her daughter and silenced her through fear.

“No sentence would ever have been enough for Tianne,” Ms Taylor said. “The charge I wanted him tried for most — rape — will never be heard. When my daughter was alive, her evidence wasn’t hearsay. That should have been enough for a trial.”

During her victim impact statement, Ms Taylor directly addressed Osei in court, accusing him of breaking her daughter’s spirit and robbing her family of a beloved daughter and sister. “Since she met you, her life was never the same,” she said. “You took her smile. You broke her soul.”

Ms Taylor also revealed that Tianne kept much of the abuse hidden, fearing her family’s reaction and trying to protect them from the truth.

Defence barrister Bartholomew O’Toole urged the court to separate Osei’s crimes from Tianne’s death, stressing that he was not charged with causing or contributing to her passing. He read a letter from Osei to the judge, in which Osei claimed remorse and described Tianne as “everything” to him — remarks that prompted anger from members of the public gallery.

Sentencing Osei, Recorder James Willan KC described the abuse as “persistent and significant,” driven largely by jealousy. He noted that Tianne, whom he described as “deeply loving and caring,” became so frightened by Osei’s conduct that she resorted to self-harm. While acknowledging the devastating impact of the abuse, the judge stopped short of linking it directly to her death.

Taking into account Osei’s PTSD diagnosis — which experts said did not impair his ability to understand or control his actions — the judge imposed a total sentence of four years and two months, including concurrent sentences for assault and strangulation.