'Vicious' Gosport woman dodges jail after beating terminally ill boyfriend left with ruptured testicle

A “vicious” woman escaped a prison sentence after unleashing a withering beating on her terminally ill partner where she bit his body, banged his head and ruptured a testicle after stamping on his groin so hard.

Violent Gosport bully Paige Charnock delivered a prolonged pummelling on her boyfriend at his house that left him with permanent damage to his groin in what he said was the “worst experience of my life”.

Despite the man’s serious injuries, which saw him lose consciousness on several occasions during the hostile intermittent attacks, the 29-year-old prevented him from leaving the house before he later collapsed in the street and was rushed to hospital.

Yet Portsmouth Crown Court heard how Charnock, of Mumby Road, was given a reprieve from an “extremely long” jail sentence. Prosecutors accepted her guilty plea of assault occasioning actual bodily harm at the start of her trial in place of the more serious charge of grievous bodily harm in order to save the victim, who has a terminal heart condition, from giving evidence.

Charnock’s care for the couple’s young child was also given as the reason a judge decided to spare an immediate custodial sentence, with the defendant’s three year jail term suspended for three years - the maximum period for a suspended sentence. She was also given 200 hours of unpaid work and a five-year restraining order.

The court heard how Charnock stormed over to the man’s house having bombarded him with messages in the days leading up to the incident that started on July 23, 2023, around 1am and lasted until around 6pm the following day.

Judge Daniel Sawyer said: “You subjected him to an attack that went on for several hours and involved you biting him, banging his head and at one point stamping on his groin that ruptured a testicle.

“He had very significant health difficulties and a pacemaker which you were well aware of when you were punching him in the chest.

“It was a tempestuous relationship but that in no way excuses you. It was a vicious attack you subjected him to.”

Prosecutor Lucie Taylor said: “The assault was over many hours and at times she would apologise and then lose her temper and resume the attack.”

Referring to the groin injury, the prosecutor said the boyfriend was stricken on the floor after being hit and bitten while also having suffered a cut to his finger when trying to take a knife from Charnock. “She delivered a very hard stamp to the groin which ruptured his testicle before he lost consciousness,” she said. “He thinks he lost consciousness several times over the course of the incident.”

But despite being in agony, Charnock refused to allow the man to leave the house to get urgent medical attention. “He asked to leave to get treatment, especially for the injury to his groin, but she would not let him go,” Ms Taylor told the court.

It was only during a “lull” in the beatings that Charnock agreed to take her boyfriend to the shops in what was a “ruse” for him to seek help. “She drove him to the shops where she delivered more blows to his chest and groin,” the prosecutor said.

Once inside the shop, the man begged for help from staff before collapsing outside on the street moments later. An ambulance arrived to treat the injured man as Charnock came over and “faked concern”, the court heard. “He pleaded she be kept at a distance,” Ms Taylor said.

The shocking incident came six days after another assault on the man in which she accused him of speaking to other women. “She began to assault him by punching him to his chest, strangling him, and punching him in his eye,” Ms Taylor said.

The man, who was left with cuts and bruises and suffered internal bleeding during the second attack, said in a victim impact statement that he spent 16 days in hospital and was left in a wheelchair and needing a walking frame during his recovery. “I felt useless,” he said.

Speaking of the pain in his groin he said: “Three years on I still have pain in my groin. The damage is beyond repair and I will continue to have it for the rest of my life.”

He said the “emotional harm was extensive” and revealed the incident, which he refused to retaliate in, was the “worst experience of my life”.

The man said the health issues also meant he was nearly made homeless after his landlord evicted him and he now has a difficult relationship with his son. “He lost respect for me and asked why I let a girl hurt me,” he said.

James Wing, defending, said both attacks happened over a short period and said there had been no prior or subsequent offences from Charnock, of previous good character. The barrister said it transpired that the defendant was pregnant at the time of the incidents and blamed her hormones and drinking that “made her lose total control of herself”.

Mr Wing said a prison sentence would have devastating consequences for their young child who Charnock cares for. “Her little boy would not be able to cope without her. (Jail) would cause immense difficulties,” he said.

Judge Sawyer said he was suspending the sentence because of the “significant harm” a jail term would have on the child. “If it was not for that then you would be going inside for three years,” he told Charnock.

Speaking of the prosecution's decision to accept a guilty plea to assault occasioning actual bodily harm at the beginning of her trial in place of the more serious grievous bodily harm, he said: “I understand entirely why the prosecution (offered the lesser charge) to save (the victim) giving evidence. The effect is to tie my hands,” he said.

He added: “If you were found guilty of grievous bodily harm, which seems likely, you would be facing an extremely long sentence of imprisonment.”