ETHAN KNIGHT – CARDIFF

Former boxer and TikTok creator spared immediate jail after campaign of abuse against partner

A former boxer and TikTok creator has been handed a suspended prison sentence after admitting a campaign of domestic abuse against his former partner, including punching and kicking her unconscious and suffocating her during a violent attack.

Ethan Knight, who built a following on TikTok, pleaded guilty at Newport Crown Court to intentional suffocation and two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The court heard the abuse took place over the course of the couple’s year-long relationship.

The first assault happened at a caravan park in Weymouth, where Knight punched the victim in the face before repeatedly kicking her as she lay on the ground, causing her to lose consciousness.

A second attack took place while the couple were on holiday in Burnham-on-Sea. Prosecutors said Knight flew into a rage over a Snapchat message, repeatedly assaulting the victim and leaving her with a black eye.

The final incident occurred at the victim’s home in Church Village after she refused to unlock her mobile phone. Knight placed his hand tightly over her nose and mouth, preventing her from breathing, before dragging her by the hair towards the toilet. She managed to escape long enough to call police.

In a personal statement read to the court, the victim described the lasting impact of the abuse and said Knight later attempted to make light of the violence.

She recalled him joking: “I kicked your head like a football, you were snoring for ages.”

The victim told the court she remained in the relationship because of occasional acts of kindness, but said the abuse left her living in a constant state of fear and suffering daily flashbacks.

In mitigation, the court heard Knight had spent 296 days on remand and had expressed remorse for his actions.

Sentencing, Judge Eugene Egan said Knight had “appallingly believed he was playing the hard man” by assaulting someone physically smaller than himself.

Knight was sentenced to 108 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for two years. He was also made subject to a five-year restraining order, a mental health treatment requirement, and ordered to complete the Building Better Choices Programme.