Man jailed for ‘brutal’ two-hour rolling pin assault on girlfriend
Crime scene photos were like ‘scene from The Oresteia’, judge says
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A man has been jailed for 12 years for an “absolutely brutal” two-hour attack on his girlfriend with a rolling pin.
Patrick Berry, 51, launched the assault at his victim's home in Bermondsey, London, following an argument over a previous attack he had committed on a man a few months earlier.
At Blackfriars Crown Court, Berry was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment, with an extended licence totalling 12 years for grievous bodily harm with intent, as well as 40 months’ imprisonment for grievous bodily harm for the earlier attack.
The sentences will run concurrently.
According to the Metropolitan Police the first attack occurred on 1 December last year, when Berry and his girlfriend at the time went to a friend’s house in south east London following an evening at the pub.
When the friend complimented Berry’s girlfriend on her clothing, Berry reportedly followed him out of the room, kicked him to the floor, sat on his chest and used a pair of nail scissors to jab the man repeatedly in the face, apparently in an effort to stab him in the eyes.
When the man struggled to get free Berry then stabbed him repeatedly in the back, before eventually standing up, stamping on the man and hitting him with a chair and departing the house with his girlfriend.
The 20-minute attack saw the victim lose consciousness and left him needing hospital treatment.
Berry was arrested and charged three weeks later.
Three months later, on 29 March, Berry visited the home of his girlfriend, in Bermondsey, where he wanted to discuss his upcoming trial.
According to the Met, his girlfriend told him she didn’t want to talk about the case, prompting Berry to “flip out” and launch a “sustained brutal attack” in her kitchen.
The assault lasted two hours, in which time Berry used a granite pestle and a rolling pin to batter his victim unconscious, before repeatedly kicking and stamping on her, then sitting on her so she was unable to breathe.
The woman was taken to hospital with what were initially believed to be life-changing injuries. According to the police she received cuts totalling 45cm in length to her scalp, requiring 21 staples and four stitches to her head. She also had significant bruising to her face and legs.
Berry was arrested the following day and denied attacking his victim, telling officers she had attacked him.
Sentencing him, Judge Peter Clark described the crime scene photos from the woman’s home as “a scene from The Oresteia” - a bloody Greek tragedy.
The police credited Berry’s victims’ bravery and evidence as vital components in bringing their attacker to justice.
Detective Constable Sam Cafferty, the investigating officer from Southwark CID, said: “Berry is a dangerous individual who carried out two absolutely brutal attacks on his innocent victims.
“I would like to praise the victims for their immense bravery in helping us to bring Berry to justice. I hope his sentencing gives them both a measure of closure and comfort.”
Detective Inspector Tracey Miller said: “This was an horrific example of the type of abuse suffered by victims of domestic violence. That the victim was able to give such compelling evidence was in large part due to the strong partnership between the Metropolitan Police and Victim Support, who have Independent Domestic Violence Advisers co-located in the police station to provide immediate specialist intensive support throughout the process.”