East Malling, UK — A 49-year-old man was sentenced on Monday to four years and six months in prison for a brutal attack using garden shears on a woman who was looking after his dog. The violence erupted from a disagreement over a mobile phone, escalating quickly into a physical assault.
Alan Brook, the perpetrator, was accused and pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to wounding with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm. The court proceedings revealed that in addition to the primary charge, an associated charge of robbery concerning the phone incident was also upheld.
The September 14, 2024, attack began inside the victim’s home in East Malling, where Brook attempted, initially, to shoot a catapult towards her head following a heated dispute over a mobile phone. The woman fled the scene, but Brook pursued her with shears, catching up and repeatedly striking her, causing severe head injuries.
The injured woman managed to reach a neighbor’s house from where emergency services were contacted. Following the attack, Brook changed his clothes and fled to a relative’s home in Snodland, near Rochester, where he was eventually located by police hiding in a bathroom.
The victim was immediately taken to hospital due to the severity of her injuries, though details about her current health status were not provided in court records.
“Brook’s actions reflect a shocking level of violence that stemmed from an utterly mundane dispute,” stated Detective Sergeant Mark Giles of Kent Police. Giles expressed hope that the sentence would provide some measure of solace to the victim, acknowledging the lasting impact of the attack on her well-being.
In court, it came to light that Brook had a history of violence, which influenced the court’s decision to impose a ten-year restraining order post-release, to protect the victim from further harm.
The judge emphasized that this type of violent behavior could have led to even more tragic consequences and stressed the importance of addressing such extreme reactions to everyday conflicts.
This case underscores ongoing concerns about domestic violence and the importance of legal and social services in protecting individuals from harm within their own homes, highlighting the role of swift legal intervention in preventing future violence.