Man jailed for attacking wife with meat cleaver

A man has been jailed for violently assaulting his partner on the Isle of Wight with a meat cleaver.

Jonathan Eldridge called the ambulance service to his home address on West Street, Ryde at around 10.20pm on Friday 24 December 2021.

The 42-year-old told call handlers that he had struck his wife in the head with the weapon, having returned to the house through the back door after being out drinking.

Police officers and paramedics deployed to the address where they found the victim unresponsive on the sofa, having suffered significant blood loss.

During a trial at Winchester Crown Court, a jury were told how Eldridge continued to ask, ‘why did I do this’ following his arrest.

He was subsequently charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

At the Isle of Wight Crown Court on 3 March this year, Eldridge entered a plea to causing grievous bodily harm without intent, but this was rejected and the case proceeded to trial in Winchester on Monday 13 June.

The jury found Eldridge guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, following the three day trial.

Appearing at Winchester Crown Court today (Thursday 1 September) Eldridge was jailed for 9 years and was handed a life-long restraining order.

Following the sentencing, DC Adam Gamble said: “This was a shocking infliction of extreme violence which left a vulnerable woman with serious head injuries.

“There is simply no excuse whatsoever to commit such a horrific act against another person.

“People have the right to feel safe anywhere, in particular their own home. Domestic abuse is an awful crime which sees victims suffer abuse, whether this be psychological or physical violence, at the hands of those closest to them.

“Tackling perpetrators of domestic abuse is a priority for us, and we want more people to have the confidence to speak out about what is largely an under-reported type of crime.”

We’ve recently rolled out Project Foundation across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, which is a partnership initiative alongside The Hampton Trust that aims to identify and manage the most dangerous perpetrators of physical and sexual violence in the community, offering them pathways to try and help change their behaviour.

You can read more details of our Project Foundation partnership work here: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/news/hampshire/news/news/2022/may-2022/project-foundation-how-were-tackling-domestic-abuse-perpetrators/?fbclid=IwAR25W_qeo9SwAF-pkX1LrwOMuazYgffrekzoAagtn6WdTCnYnQr9Fl1mzHc

We know that not everyone who has been abused always has the confidence to speak to police. The Paragon team – part of the charity The YOU Trust – provide specialist support to domestic abuse victims on the Isle of Wight. You can visit their website here: https://paragonteam.org.uk/