“I am a shell of what I used to be" victim tells court as Petersfield man is jailed for seven years for "abhorrent" domestic abuse offences
A victim of domestic abuse has told a court how she wishes she had “never met” her abuser as he was sentenced to seven years in prison for offences including strangulation and assault.
The victim told Winchester Crown Court of her harrowing ordeal at the hands of Callum Hornby, 24, of Grange Road in Petersfield, and how it has left her “a shell of what she used to be”.
Hornby was sentenced on Friday, September 12 after pleading guilty to a series of incidents perpetrated between October 8, 2023 and September 11, 2024 in Gosport and Petersfield.
Addressing the court, the woman said: “The impact of what Callum Hornby has done to me has impacted every part of my life. It has affected my mental health, my confidence and my relationships with my family and my friends. It has caused me trauma, which I am not sure I will ever recover from.
“I am a shell of what I use to be. I would say I am unrecognisable from who I use to be. What Callum has done in terms of his behaviours towards me and the constant fear, distress, manipulative and constant emotional blackmail, physical and extremely violent assaults, left me walking on egg shells and has brought me to the lowest point of my life.
“I have never encountered this level of physical and emotional abuse that Callum has put me through before. The constant threats to kill or hurt himself, the constant being on edge waiting for the next thing because of his mood or how he may be or react or his demands not being met has been painful and like a long slow illness slowly killing me.
“I find that coping day to day feels impossible. I had to leave my job as I feel unable to cope right now due to the emotional and physical burn out. I have also been unable to cope or finish my studies also due to the emotional and physical burn out.
“This saddens me greatly and I can only somehow hope that I one day recover from this, but I suspect this will take years and years. I wish I had never met Callum Hornby.”
Hornby pleaded guilty to the below offences:
- Assault occasioning actual bodily harm on October, 8, 2023.
- Intentional Strangulation in Grange Road, Petersfield on February 16, 2024.
- Assault occasioning actual bodily harm in Grange Road, Petersfield on February 16, 2024.
- Assault by beating on March 9, 2024.
- Assault occasioning actual bodily harm between May 31, 2024 and 1 July 2024.
- Intentional Strangulation at an address in Hanbidge Walk, Gosport, on August 24, 2024.
- Assault occasioning actual bodily harm at an address in Hanbidge Walk, Gosport, on August25, 2024.
- Making threats to kill at an address in Hanbidge Walk, Gosport, on September 11, 2024.
DC Angela Smith-Jones said, “I am very glad to see Hornby face justice for his actions and I believe this result reflects the seriousness with which we treat violence against women and girls.
“I would like to commend the victim for her strength and courage, both in coming forward to report and throughout the investigation and court process. The abuse she has endured at the hands of Hornby is abhorrent and I hope that seeing him put behind bars will help her on her road to recovering and rebuilding her life.
“Domestic abuse and violence has a devastating and long-lasting impact on those affected, and we will make every effort to target perpetrators and see them face the consequences of their actions.”
The police have advice and guidance on how to report domestic abuse them on their website. Under Clare’s Law you are also able to apply for information about your current or ex-partner if you are worried that they may have a history of abuse and are a risk to you. You are also able to request information about the current or ex-partner of a friend or relative if you’re worried they may be at risk.
Further details on Clare’s Law can be found here: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/rqo/request/ri/request-information/cl/triage/v2/request-information-under-clares-law/
A Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesperson said: “Domestic abuse can affect anyone regardless of ethnicity, age, gender, sexuality or social background.
“If you are suffering from physical, sexual, psychological or financial abuse, or are being threatened, intimidated or stalked by a current or previous partner or close family member, it’s likely you’re a victim of domestic abuse.
“You're not to blame for what's happening. You're not alone.”
Advice can be found at https://www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/daa/domestic-abuse/