Gloucester man jailed after stamping on head of woman

A Gloucester man who stamped on the head of a woman before punching her in the head has been jailed.

Redwan Karim, aged 31 and of Regent Street, was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court earlier this year for one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one count of sending malicious communications after pleading guilty at a previous hearing.

During his attack on the victim, he punched her so hard that it caused both her eardrums to burst.

Although he had initially pleaded not guilty, Karim had changed his plea to guilty on the first day of his trial in February this year.

The court was told that on 30 July last year (2024), Karim had visited the woman at her address in the early hours of the morning.

He took her by taxi to a hotel in Cheltenham and, later that morning, phsyically assaulted her.

The 31-year-old grabbed the victim by her hair. She pushed him off, falling to the floor in the process, at which point Karim stamped on her head with significant force.

He then punched her head with such force that it resulted in perforating both her eardrums.

Leaving the hotel, the pair returned to Karim's car, which was parked in Gloucester. During the car ride, Karim once again grabbed the victim's hair.

The victim then left the car to walk to her mother's house, but Karim was already waiting outside. She got into the car, at which point Karim has grabbed her clothing while reversing away.

The victim's mother, seeing what happened, was able to pull the woman from his grasp before Karim drove off.

At hospital, it was confirmed that the victim had suffered cerebrospinal fluid leaking from her ears, multiple bruising and swelling to her head and face, and a perforated right eardrum. She was also suffering pain to her jaw and nausea.

Following his arrest, Karim's mobile was examined. It revealed that, during November 2023, he had sent her offensive and menacing messages, threatening to hurt her so badly that she would need hospital treatment.

In a Victim Personal Statement, which was read to the court, the woman said: "I just feel empty, and frustrated, and unhappy. I haven't been coping well with it.

"For the last seven months my family have had to watch me suffer, I was really mentally unwell. I was in a lot of pain, I couldn't hear properly for months afterwards.

"I'm still suffering, I don't think it will ever stop. I can't even go out, I don't go out with my friends, I just stay at home by myself. I don't see my family. I don't do anything you would expect of a normal person."

Karim was sentenced to three years and six months for the assault, and a further six months, to run concurrently, for the sending of malicious communications. He was also give a 10-year restraining order against the victim.

Following the sentencing, investigating officer Detective Constable Sarah Mobbs said: "This was a brutal attack by Karim on his victim, leaving her with serious injuries, both physical and mental.

“By bravely coming forward, she has shown incredible courage and I want to commend her for her actions.

"This sentence shows that this horrific behaviour will not be tolerated and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the perpetrators of these assaults on women are brought to justice.”

Professional support is available for anyone who has an abusive partner, former partner or relative – contact Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service on 01452 726 570 or email: [email protected]. More information is available on their website: https://www.gdass.org.uk/

The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme gives any member of the public the right to ask the police if their partner may pose a risk to them. It is often called 'Clare's Law' after the landmark case that led to it.

This scheme also allows a member of the public to make an enquiry into the partner of a close friend or family member. For more information on this visit: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/daa/domestic-abuse/alpha2/request-information-under-clares-law/

To report a domestic abuse related incident call police on the non-emergency number 101. In an emergency, or if the incident is ongoing, always call 999.