BOYFRIEND'S 'DESPICABLE' ATTACK LEFT VICTIM FEARING FOR HER LIFE
A vicious boyfriend repeatedly punched and kicked his girlfriend in a "despicable" and “horrific” attack which lasted hours, a court has heard.Alex Owen, 36, punched, kicked and straddled his girlfriend in Foxhole in the early hours of June 1 last year.
Owen, of St Austell, appeared for sentence at Truro Crown Court on Wednesday (January 14) having pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and criminal damage to property.
Prosecuting the case, Victoria Bastock described the attack as taking place over a number of hours.
She said the victim tried to get away, trying to reach out for help from a couple nearby - but a "heavily intoxicated" Owen continued to assault her.
Ms Bastock said the defendant “dragged her back by the ankle, punching and kicking her multiple times”.
The couple who witnessed the horror said they saw the victim try to run away but he dragged her across the road, the court heard.
Ms Bastock said the witnesses could see Mr Owen kick his victim while she lay on the ground, shouting at her while doing so.
The court was told how they said it was “horrific” to witness and they were terrified to intervene.
The court heard Owen then placed his victim back in his vehicle, at which point she appeared limp.
“He was telling her to look at what she had made him do,” Ms Bastock said.
She noted that he took her to hospital on the condition she wouldn't say anything about the attack.
The victim explained to hospital staff, however, that her boyfriend had assaulted her, and they helped alert the police.
In an impact statement the victim said: “There are no words to describe this attack other than absolutely brutal.
“That morning was the worst of my life and I thought I was going to die.” Defending Owen, Sophie Johns insisted the defendant is “deeply ashamed and remorseful”.
She said: “Mr Owen is a man with two sides - the sober Mr Owen is thoughtful, reflective and engaging - it’s a stark contrast to the heavily intoxicated Mr Owen who carried out these offences.” She noted he has “spent much time thinking about his actions and the terrible consequences” on his victim and added “it’s clear” that his offending is linked to drug and alcohol use and he has given serious thought to remaining sober when he's released.
Ms Johns noted the defendant has identified counselling and local support services he can access when he is released from prison and has completed a number of courses in prison too.
Sentencing the defendant, His Honour Judge James Adkin told him: “You’d been in a relationship with (the victim) for about seven months.
“You behaved in a despicable and cowardly way towards a defenceless woman.
“You started off with verbal abuse, then you began to attack her, punching her and kicking her.” He told how witnesses of the attack described Owen “straddling” his victim then “punching her repeatedly”.
He noted the veracity of the offence terrified one of the witnesses so greatly that she urged her partner not to go and intervene for his own safety.
Of the victim’s personal impact statement, the judge added: “She describes being hit 20 times in the face, at that time you threatened to and could well have, killed her.” Owen was sentenced to a total of 30 months in prison and was given a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim for the next ten years.
