OFFENDER PHILIP MORRIS JAILED FOR LIFE FOR MALICIOUS ATTACK ON GIRLFRIEND
2000: During his sentencing under the government's two strikes legislation, Philip Morris displayed no emotion as he was held responsible for assaulting 34-year-old dancer girlfriend Diane Ivill with a piece of wood, striking her on the head multiple times.Judge John Roberts indicated that Morris would be eligible for parole only after serving at least five years and 69 days, which reflects the 209 days he has already spent in detention.
This effectively prevents him from being considered for release until that period is completed, and it is anticipated he could spend between eight and ten years in prison.
The judge also emphasized that there were no exceptional reasons to avoid a life sentence and mentioned Morris's substantial threat to other women.
Morris is a convicted murderer of his wife from 1983, whose body he buried in their garden, but he was initially sentenced to four years for manslaughter at Liverpool Crown Court.
The recent brutal assault resulted in Ivill being rendered unconscious, bloodied, and transported to Hope Hospital, where she was placed in a neurological ward for seven days on a ventilator.
She had sustained a fractured skull, facial injuries, and a broken right forearm during the assault, which occurred at Morris’s residence on Derwent Road, Farnworth, on February 14, Valentine's Day.
A former dancer and instructor, Ivill performed worldwide, but the attack has left her with irreversible brain damage, limiting her speech and comprehension, causing double incontinence, and necessitating continuous care for the foreseeable future.
