Blackpool woman suffers nightmares after violent partner left her ‘virtually unrecognisable’ following vicious attack

The victim was left virtually unrecognisable following the horrific attack by Karl Machin at her home on December 4, 2022.

She lost a number of teeth and was left with a broken jaw, a speech impairment, a broken eye socket and a brain injury which resulted in memory issues.

She also suffered nerve and tissue damage which affected her smile, two black eyes and bruising to her legs, ribs and back.

In a victim impact statement, the woman – who did not want to be named – said: “The trauma and psychological distress this has caused me is immeasurable.

“I suffer from flashbacks and nightmares. I am nervous in big crowds and do not like being in enclosed spaces, especially with men around.

“I am on edge and feel exposed and unsafe, always looking over my shoulder in case someone is behind me who might hurt me.”

Her injuries were so severe that one of the police officers attending the scene thought her hair was dyed red, but it was actually blood.

The victim added: “I have no real idea of the true emotional impact of the attack, and must be realistic in that it may leave me with lifelong repercussions on my self-confidence and esteem, but I am striving and trying my best to regain some of the old me back.

“However, I do feel that I have had my safety and peace of mind robbed from me, and I do feel I am not safe here in my home anymore, as it is now stained and tainted with the traumatic memories of what happened in it.

“Finally, I must now try to rebuild myself and my life and try to come to terms with the fact I am never going to ever be the same person I was.

“I am irrevocably changed and feel I have had some of the best parts of me taken away and obliterated.”

Machin, of Charles Street, Blackpool, admitted Section 18 wounding.

He was jailed for seven years and two months and was also given a ten-year restraining order.

DC Jo Clement, of Blackpool Police, said: “Karl Machin subjected his victim to a brutal, severe and life-changing assault which left her not only with horrific injuries but with lasting psychological damage too.

“He is clearly an extremely violent individual and I welcome both the custodial sentence and the restraining order.

“I would like to praise the victim for having the courage to speak about what happened to her.”