CHRISTOPHER BALMER LEIGH CARAVAN PARK HORROR LEAVES WOMAN IN HOSPITAL

In a disturbing incident that has once again brought attention to the violent tendencies of Christopher Balmer from Leigh, a brutal assault occurred on May 8 of the previous year, leaving a woman severely injured and her young children traumatized. The attack took place within her home, a place where she should have felt safe, but instead became the scene of a vicious assault that has left lasting scars.

According to court reports, Balmer, aged 33 and residing on St Helens Road in Leigh, launched a violent attack on his partner, leaving her with a bleed on the brain and injuries so severe that she feared for her life. The incident was witnessed by her teenage son, who found her with a burst lip and a black eye after the assault. The woman was immediately taken to hospital, where she remained for two days, diagnosed with a small hemorrhage on the left side of her brain. Her injuries were so serious that she was unable to open her left eye for several weeks, and her sight took even longer to recover.

The court heard that the couple had recently reconciled after a breakup in January 2020. On the night of the attack, they had been drinking together in the woman’s bedroom. Tensions escalated when Balmer accused her of 'seeing someone else.' In response, she decided to leave the room to avoid an argument. As she stood up to leave, Balmer suddenly knocked her to the ground and began punching her repeatedly. The assault was relentless; at one point, he paused briefly and then resumed his attack. The woman cannot recall whether she lost consciousness during the assault, but she remembers that Balmer eventually left the scene.

Her teenage son discovered her in this battered state, took photographs of her injuries, and sent them to his grandmother, who promptly called the police. The woman’s injuries were described as 'horrific' by the judge, with the victim expressing her disgust and fear in a personal statement. She revealed that she thought she was going to die during the attack and that her injuries had a profound impact on her family, especially her young daughter, who became frightened of her, believing she looked like a monster.

Balmer pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm in connection with the attack. Prosecutor Gavin Howie highlighted that this was not an isolated incident; Balmer has a lengthy criminal record with 18 previous convictions. Notably, in 2017, he was involved in an assault where he left a seven-year-old girl with a split lip and punched her father, who was lying on the ground with a broken leg.

During the sentencing hearing, Recorder Alexandra Simmonds noted the emotional toll on the court staff, one of whom was reduced to tears after Balmer’s conduct prior to the hearing. She sentenced him to 32 months in prison, emphasizing the severity of his actions. The judge described the injuries as 'horrific' and pointed out that the assault was both deliberate and gratuitous, committed in the victim’s own home, a place where she should have felt secure. She also expressed concern about the impact on the victim’s confidence and her ability to work, as well as the fear instilled in her young daughter, who believed her mother looked like a monster after the attack.