Charlie and Laura Haynes banged on Stacey Blackman’s front door in Folkestone, Kent, and then ambushed her with the weapon, before launching a prolonged assault that left her jaw fractured and teeth missing
A mum and son have been jailed for a combined 10 and a half years after a “vicious” and “unprovoked” hammer attack on a former friend.
Charlie and Laura Haynes banged on Stacey Blackman’s front door in Folkestone, Kent, and then ambushed her with the weapon, before launching a prolonged assault that left her jaw fractured and teeth missing.
When their former friend curled into a ball, the duo dragged her into the bathroom and forced her head underwater, causing her to fear drowning.
Charlie, who was 19 at the time of the attack, then repeatedly punched Ms Blackman’s face as she tried resting her head on the toilet seat inside her blood-splattered bathroom.
Following their arrest the next day, the pair denied their actions, but a jury unanimously convicted them of grievous bodily harm with intent in February following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court.
Ms Blackman was left with horrific injuries, including a fracture to her left upper jaw, eight missing teeth, bruising and wounds to her mouth. Following the assault on the morning of June 1, 2024 mum and son fled and took the hammer with them, washed it, before stashing it in a cupboard under the sink.
The prosecution said the attack was a revenge one, although the motivations were unclear.
One suggestion was an incident where Laura’s windows were smashed by stones. Another was that the attack was over a missing phone.
Prosecutor Allister Walker described how the mum gave her son instructions as he beat Ms Blackman, and made comments such as, “Where’s your boyfriend now?”
He read the court a statement written by Ms Blackman, in which she said: “I used to feel safe in my home. I’m still physically suffering due to the attack. I was beaten so badly that eight teeth were knocked out of my mouth, and I need further dental treatment.
“This treatment isn’t covered by the NHS, and I am told it will cost £20,000, including bone grafts. Sometimes, I get phantom pain where my teeth were. It has impacted my self-confidence. I hate looking in the mirror as the scars are a reminder of the assault.
“I am not the same person I was before this happened.”
She said that she no longer goes out before 9pm, as that’s when the mum and son’s police enforced curfew began. Ms Blackman also says she could not use her own bathtub for months after the assault.
She added: “Laura was my friend. This was not a random attack.”
Mr Walker said that there was “a significant degree of planning and premeditation” by the pair.
Defending both Charlie, now 22, and Laura, Nicholas Hamblin said they both were of previous good character.
He told the court: “Laura, aged 40, has a caution or reprimand when she was considerably younger for an offence of a completely different nature. She has caring responsibility not only for her 14-year-old twins, but also for her mother, who unfortunately is subject to early-onset dementia.
“Charlie has, in the pre-sentence report, spoken of regret for attending the home and what happened thereafter. He was 19 at the time, so an immature young man.”
Mr Hamblin also said Charlie has suffered from considerable anxiety, to the extent that a referral to mental health services was considered.
He said that as a single mother, Laura’s two girls would have to be rehoused, and her pets rehomed. He added: “A friend of over 25 years describes her as a devoted mother and a kind and compassionate person. She is sincerely sorry for how things unfolded, and said it was the biggest mistake of her life. It’s my submission that there is every hope this young man and his mother will never trouble the court again.”
The pair, from Folkestone at the time of the assault but more recently living in Ashford, were sentenced yesterday at Canterbury Crown Court. Recorder Michael Turner described the attack as “vicious, unprovoked and sustained”.
Jailing Charlie for five years and Laura for five-and-a-half, he said: “It’s difficult to see your motivation for such an out-of-control, violent assault, and it’s unsurprising that, as said in the impact statement, Ms Blackman has continued to suffer not only physical injuries but also from the psychological impacts of them.
“Ms Blackman was a victim who was obviously vulnerable due to her personal circumstances.
“I have taken into account your respective caregiving responsibilities, which in each case are significant, Laura, in particular, the twins for whom you are the sole carer. At the end of the day, this was an extremely serious assault that was completely unprovoked, on a defenceless, vulnerable woman early in the morning.”
The pair will each have to pay a victim surcharge of £228 and are subject to a restraining order preventing them from contacting Ms Blackman for five years.
They will be required to serve at least two-thirds of their sentences behind bars before being released on licence.
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