A local man has been convicted of a savage assault on a woman he had just met through an online dating platform. Fresh from a prison stint due to similar outrageous behaviour, John Chittock, 40, formerly of High Street, Doncaster, has shown a terrifying disregard for the law. After consuming two bottles of Jim Beam whisky in his new girlfriend’s Grimsby home, he unleashed a shocking attack. Despite his denials of assault and strangulation, a Grimsby Crown Court jury found him guilty last October. The chilling details of the assault, shared by prosecutor Miss Katherine White, included bites to the victim’s shoulder, back, neck, and nose, as well as threats to end her life. He even banged her head against a wall and briefly strangled her before exhaustion overtook him. The traumatised woman bravely called the police as her attacker slept. Chittock’s criminal history, containing nine convictions for 30 offences, is deeply troubling. He had been released on licence on December 27, 2023, after a three-year sentence, only to reoffend. The victim, still grappling with the horrific experience, shared that she feels unsafe and is haunted by flashbacks. Chittock’s defence, David Godfrey, admitted his client’s actions were ‘extremely poor’ and ‘bang out of order.’ However, Recorder Taryn Turner was unimpressed, branding Chittock’s criminal record ‘alarming’ and sentencing him to three and a half years in prison. She also imposed an indefinite restraining order, forbidding any contact with the victim.
This story was adapted by The Lincoln Post from original reporting by www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk.
