‘Horrendous’ video of attack played in court

The two victims were a 71-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman, who were in the woman’s flat in New Road, St Sampson’s, when they were attacked by Aston Hamon, who also lived in the same building.

‘This is not something we expect and fortunately very rarely see in Guernsey,’ said Judge Russell Finch.

‘Quite simply that was a horrendous and disgusting 40 minutes, the sort of unprovoked mindless violence we could have done without seeing, but it is our duty.’

One day in January, Hamon appeared outside the property shouting and swearing and accused the woman of having his keys. He forced his way into the flat, and into the bedroom.

The prolonged attack was recorded by a remote-controlled pet tracking camera in the house. The court watched it all yesterday.

Hamon grabbed the woman around the throat, shoving her to the floor, took her mobile phone and smashed it against a chest of drawers.

After pushing the woman and the man onto the bed he climbed on top of them, hitting the woman repeatedly about the head and also punching the man when he tried to intervene. The court heard the woman’s cries and the man begging Hamon to leave her alone.

After a few minutes Hamon stopped his assault. He said he had not realised how much older than him the man was, and he apologised, but then he attacked again, pulling the woman off the bed by her hair and pushing the man onto the floor.

He punched and kicked the man in the head as he lay on the floor and searched his pockets looking for his keys.

Eventually he left the property and the man and woman went to hospital, and the matter was reported to the police.

The woman had significant swelling to her eyelids and face, a cut inside her lip, and an injury where her hair had been pulled out by the roots.

She was referred to an eye specialist and a dentist after complaining of loose teeth.

The man had abrasions to his face and a swollen temple as well as headaches. He spoke of having shoulder pain a few days later.

Both recorded victim impact statements, with the woman saying that she was physically and emotionally broken and a shadow of her former self.

She had anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and no longer felt safe around men she did not know.

The man said he had found himself becoming angry more often than before. He still thought about the incident often and worried about what might have happened to the woman if he had not been there.

Hamon had presented himself at the police station a few days after the incident and was arrested, but prosecuting advocate Jenny McVeigh said he had never provided any rationale for his actions.

He had previous convictions, including assault, although his advocate Sara Mallett said that these were several years old.

The defendant had struggled to recognise himself as the man in the video footage and offered no excuse for what he had done. Alcohol and an argument with a friend had played a part.

He had been in custody since being arrested in mid-January and was trying to address his issues while in prison. He apologised to his victims but recognised that this would be of little value. A probation report said he was regretful and remorseful.

Hamon admitted both assaults and two charges of criminal damage, to the woman’s phone and the door of her property.

He was sentenced to five years for the assault on the woman, four years concurrent for assaulting the man, and nine months concurrent for both counts of criminal damage, backdated to 17 January. He will be subject to a three-year extended sentence licence upon his release.

Hamon was also ordered to pay a total of £9,494 in compensation.