A MOTHER and son have been jailed for a combined 10 and a half years after a “vicious” and “unprovoked” hammer attack on a former pal.
Charlie and Laura Haynes banged on Stacey Blackman’s front door in Folkestone, Kent, before launching a brutal attack that left her with missing teeth and a fractured jaw, a court heard.
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Charlie and Laura Haynes have been jailed for a combined 10 and a half years Credit: Cover Images
Prosecutor Allister Walker described how Laura Haynes, above, gave her son instructions as he beat Stacey Credit: Cover Images
Mum and son were yesterday both jailed at Canterbury Crown Court over the attack, with Charlie to serve five years and Laura being handed five a half.
The court heard how the duo dragged their victim 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 Stacey’s face as she tried resting her head on the toilet seat inside her blood-splattered bathroom.
Stacey was left with horrific injuries, including a fracture to her left upper jaw, eight missing teeth, bruising and wounds to her mouth.
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A jury unanimously convicted them of grievous bodily harm with intent in February following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court Credit: Cover Images
Following the ambush 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 – potentially over an incident where Laura’s windows were smashed by stones, or a missing phone.
Prosecutor Allister Walker described how the mum gave her son instructions as he beat Stacey – making comments like “where’s your boyfriend now?”
In a court statement, Stacey wrote that she “used to feel safe” in her home, and is still “physically suffering” because of the attack.
She said: “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, and 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 said Laura was a carer for her own mother, and that Charlie was “immature” at the time of the attack.
Hamblin said: “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.”
Jailing mum and son, recorder Michael Turner 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 Stacey for five years.
They will be required to serve at least two-thirds of their sentences behind bars before being released on licence.
