A trainee mechanical engineer has pleaded guilty to launching a horrific attack on his girlfriend in the street — leaving her with “life-changing injuries.”
Samuel Farley, 21, was charged with attempted murder, but pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent to his girlfriend, Esther Garrity, before the trial began.
Garrity was left in critical condition for almost three months at James Cook University Hospital after she was attacked in the early hours of April 29 on Marton Road in Middlesbrough, a town in northeast England, about 100 miles northeast of Liverpool.
The fashion student suffered bleeding on the brain, multiple fractures and still “continues to have difficulties,” Prosecutor John Elvidge QV said.
Marton Road was cordoned off by police for a number of hours following the assault.
It was agreed in court that the prosecution would not proceed with Farley’s attempted murder charge after his guilty plea.
After taking instructions from the Crown Prosecution Service and consulting with Garrity’s family, Elvidge said: “It is my instruction that we should accept that plea, and in due course not to proceed against the defendant on count one on the indictment, of attempted murder.
“When sentence has been passed, a not guilty verdict will be entered on that count.
“The prosecution are satisfied that it is not necessary to go on to seek to prove an intention to kill in this case, having regard to the gravity of the injuries sustained.
“The Crown has also had in mind that this is a young man who does not have a history of serious violence, and the victim in this case was his own girlfriend.”
The 21-year-old will be sentenced Wednesday.
In the wake of the brutal attack, Garrity’s mom told the Gazette that her daughter is doing much better thanks to her “brilliant friends.”
The fashion-mad teen had moved away to study international fashion promotion at Manchester Metropolitan University.