CHRIS HARRIS – REDRUTH, CORNWALL Man Branded “Coward” by Judge After Forcing Pa…

❌CHRIS HARRIS – REDRUTH, CORNWALL❌

Man Branded “Coward” by Judge After Forcing Partner Down Steps in Falmouth
19 January 2025

A 50-year-old man has been handed a suspended prison sentence after violently pushing his partner down a flight of concrete steps, leaving her with serious injuries. Judge Simon Carr at Truro Crown Court described the offender as a “coward” for fleeing the scene instead of seeking help.

Christopher Harris, of Close Hill, Redruth, admitted one count of grievous bodily harm following the incident, which occurred on 25 August 2023. The court heard that Harris and his partner had spent the evening at a pub, where an argument erupted over messages Harris had sent to another woman.

Although he initially left in anger, Harris returned to collect his partner as she had no other way to get home. On arriving at her Falmouth residence, he forcibly removed her from the car, throwing her across the pathway and down three stone and concrete steps leading to her property.

The victim’s memory of the attack was fragmented, but she later recalled finding herself at a neighbour’s house, injured and abandoned. Harris drove off, leaving her without assistance. Medical examination revealed a 4cm laceration on her head that required stitches and abrasions to her nose. Weeks later, after reporting increasing pain, scans confirmed that she had also suffered a fractured neck.

During police questioning, Harris claimed the woman had been heavily intoxicated and had struck him before falling down the steps on her own. He later entered a guilty plea in December 2024.

A neighbour’s statement described hearing raised voices and witnessing Harris push the woman before she disappeared from view. Defence attorney Jason Beal argued that the incident occurred within a volatile relationship and noted Harris’s personal circumstances, including unemployment caused by prior injuries and the loss of his home.

Judge Carr rejected these factors as excuses, stating: “In volatile and tempestuous relationships, invariably only one individual ends up injured, and it’s almost always the woman. People engage in verbal disputes daily; they don’t devolve into violence. The fact that you pushed her down concrete steps and then fled demonstrates, without question, that you are a coward.”

Despite the severity of the assault, the judge noted that probation assessments indicated Harris could be managed safely in the community. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended for two years. Additional requirements include:
• Completion of 30 days on an accredited programme
• 15 days of rehabilitation activity
• Payment of a £187 victim surcharge
• A four-month electronically monitored curfew from 7pm to 7am

The court emphasized the need for Harris to address his behaviour and work on understanding the seriousness of his actions, warning that any future violent conduct would result in immediate custodial consequences.