Red Frederick, 31, asked the victim: “Do you want to die a little bit?” before applying “ten out of ten” pressure to her neck, preventing her from breathing.
The Trinidad & Tobago native - real name Renaldo - was excited to be only one of sixteen students worldwide to be accepted for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts’ one-year Master of Arts Theatre Lab programme.
However, his dreams of an acting and stage and filmmaking career are now in tatters as his visa has expired and he is eligible for Home Office removal once his prison sentence is served.
A Southwark Crown Court jury convicted Frederick of one count of intentional strangulation at the bar manageress’ Westminster residence on June 1, 2023 and causing criminal damage to her mobile phone on July 15.
Frederick, who has been staying at his sponsors’ home in Trona Court, Sittingbourne, Kent was locked-up for twenty-two days after his arrest and spent another 107 days on an electronic monitoring tag.
It was not his first brush with the law having been granted a visa as he already had a conviction for assaulting a member of security staff at ‘Heaven’ nightclub in London’s West End in April, 2023.
Judge Justin Cole told Frederick yesterday: “You came back once night, apparently drunk or in drink and got into bed and cuddled with the complainant.
“You then asked her: ‘Do you want to die a little bit?’ and she, believing it was some sort of prank said yes.
“You then put her in a tight headlock and she described herself as being completely unable to breathe and said it was ‘ten out of ten’ tightness for a few seconds.
“You loosened your grip, but kept her in a headlock for an hour and fell asleep, but when she tried to free herself you would tighten your grip.”
Frederick told the victim: “If you continue to struggle, I’m going to put you to sleep.”
Judge Cole added: “She said that in the morning you continued to find it funny and told her that she had ‘only stopped breathing for four seconds’.
“You told her if it had gone on longer her lips would have turned purple and next time it would be five seconds.
“This may have began with you believing there was an element of consent, but it soon became apparent there was an element of suffering and you exerted control over her.
“According to the pre-sentence report you are in continued denial about the offence and I believe this was a deeply toxic relationship.
“She did send you an image of strangulation of a sexual manner.
“It was highly dangerous and you did this as an instrument of control.
“I have considered long and hard if I can suspend the sentence as there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and there is strong personal mitigation.
“However, there is no arguing this was highly dangerous and given the nature of the incident the punishment can only be one of immediate custody.”
After landing the RADA course Frederick told local media: “I feel pretty damn good. There is a weight I know I have to carry, representing my country.”
After winning local acting awards he won a scholarship to the ‘Trinidad Theatre Workshop’ and went on to achieve a BA in Film Production at the University of the West Indies.
Frederick also won a short film award and acted with the National Theatre Arts Company of Trinidad and Tobago.
He even had a fundraising event called ‘incREDible’ to assist raising the approximate £11,800 he needed to complete the RADA course.
His lawyer Barry Kogan told the court: “He will return to Trinidad, having learned a severe lesson from these proceedings and would not feel that a suspended sentence was a let-off.
“He is quite an industrious man, but has not been allowed to work and has remained in Kent, biding his time and waiting for today.
“He has suffered very considerably already, regarding punishment and without minimising what the complainant suffered the impact on her does not seem severe.
“He has learned his lesson, he is a decent individual as one can see from the various letters on his behalf.
“This was, perhaps a very bad prank that went wrong and should not have happened and even the complainant thought it was a joke at first.
“He is an intelligent man and this will hang over his head.”
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