A JEALOUS musician battered his ex-girlfriend over the head with a hammer after finding out she had a new boyfriend. Jack Gower, 18, told his ex he hoped she would “die horribly” after she dumped him, hitting her twice over the head with a claw hammer, a court heard. The teenage guitarist of West Molesey, […]
A JEALOUS musician battered his ex-girlfriend over the head with a hammer after finding out she had a new boyfriend.
Jack Gower, 18, told his ex he hoped she would “die horribly” after she dumped him, hitting her twice over the head with a claw hammer, a court heard.
The teenage guitarist of West Molesey, Surrey, had brooded over his break-up with Maria Giles, a singer songwriter who attended the same music college as him.
The pair had been together for seven months and Gower, then 17, had been angry to see she had a new boyfriend.
Crown prosecutor Gino Connor told Guildford Crown Court: “The defendant started to send toxic messages using Instagram direct messages and texts, not only sent to Ms Giles but also to her boyfriend.
“One message was wishing her to die horribly.”
After getting a copy of Ms Giles’s college timetable, Gower had stuffed a backpack with the claw hammer, a balaclava and a black-handled knife.
On July 4 last year, he surprised Ms Giles, 19, and her boyfriend as they left music college.
Mr Connor said: “He approached quickly and, removing the hammer from his waistband, assaulted her with it at least twice to the left side of the head.”
Gower called his parents after the attack, asking to be picked up from Guildford. When they arrived he told his mum he had attacked Ms Giles.
Gower was at first charged with attempted murder – but after admitting wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, the more serious charge was dropped.
Delivering her victim impact statement Ms Giles said: “I honestly thought I was going to die.
“I am terrified of his release from custody. I do not know what he will do. I think he will kill me.
“He has told me before he wanted me to die and from what the doctors have told me, it is lucky I did not that day.”
Gower was sentenced to five years detention in a Young Offenders’ Institute. He would serve half of that time in custody and then would be released on licence.
He was also given a restraining order regarding Ms Giles, prohibiting him from contacting her.
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