Owen Ackers attack was ‘truly horrific and terrifying’

Owen Alan Ackers, 23 and of Lineside in Burton, was jailed for eight and a half years following the violent assault which left one of the victim’s with life-changing injuries.

He was also made subject to an extended licence period of a further 18 months.

During the afternoon of Tuesday, April 21, during the first national lockdown, Ackers was socialising and drinking at his home address with mother, Diane Ackers, and then-girlfriend Sapphire Bassett.

The defendant also took cocaine and an altercation occurred.

Ackers began to repeatedly punch his mother to the left side of her face. The defendant carried out a sustained assault, punching her repeatedly with full force. The victim managed to call 999 from her mobile phone.

Ms Bassett, who was pregnant at the time, intervened and tried to pull Ackers away from the victim, before he began to assault her as well, causing her to become unconscious.

While she was unconscious on the floor, Ms Ackers tried to pull the defendant away, but he bit her face near to her nose and forehead between her eyebrows.

Following the sustained assaults, Ackers fled the address. Officers attended to carry out enquiries at the scene, as well as a search of the area to locate the defendant.

Ackers was located a short time later hidden in a bush and arrested in connection with the incident.

Ms Ackers sustained life-changing injuries to her face that required surgery. She also sustained a laceration to her cheek, tenderness to her forearm and wrists, as well as a dislocated finger.

The woman who was knocked unconscious sustained a head injury and bruising to her face, upper chest and left shin.

DC Leila Whittle, of Bournemouth CID, said: “This was a truly horrific and terrifying incident for the two women who were both subjected to unrelenting and brutal assaults by Ackers.

“Nobody deserves to be violently assaulted and I hope this case demonstrates that we are committed to protecting victims who are sadly exposed to this type of behaviour.

“Dorset Police takes domestic abuse extremely seriously and we will do everything we can to support victims and secure justice for violent offenders.

“I would like to take this opportunity to reach out to anyone suffering from domestic abuse during the festive period and reassure you that we are here for you and will investigate any report made to us.”