A man suffered injuries including broken vertebrae after jumping from a window when his privately educated ex-girlfriend launched a vicious attack on him shortly after they broke up.
Ashley Compton was stabbed in the arm, strangled and hit with household items including a pan, before fleeing through the window to avoid the attack by 28-year-old Shannon Galligan.
The attack took place shortly before at Galligan’s home in Norwich Christmas 2024 after their years-long relationship came to an end.
The former pupil of the £25,000-a-year Norwich School – formerly King Edward VI Grammar School, which was founded in 1547 under a royal charter granted by Edward VI and whose alumni include Admiral Lord Nelson – has escaped an immediate prison sentence after a judge gave her a two-year suspended prison sentence, despite her describing it as ‘severe’. domestic violence‘.
Norwich Crown Court heard Compton had visited his ex’s room in shared accommodation in the city of Norfolk after they split.
She became “angry” for reasons not disclosed in court and grabbed a pan with which she hit him “on the back of the head,” prosecutor Marc Brown said.
The defendant then grabbed a knife and shoved it ‘into the back of the door’ before grabbing her victim by the throat.
Shannon Galligan, 28, hit her ex with household items, including a pan, before stabbing him in the arm, choking him and hitting him with a pole before fleeing through the window to avoid the attack
Mr Compton, who was described as ‘scared’, tried to pull her hand away before he was stabbed in the arm, although he only later realized she had done so.
He then tried to escape via the stairs but was hit by a pole, after which he ‘jumped out the window’ into the ground floor living room before escaping.
The injuries he suffered when he hit the ground included broken vertebrae and multiple bruises.
Galligan, who works as a cleaner at Homebase according to her Facebook account, had been charged with wounding with intent, but the prosecutor accepted her plea of guilty to unlawful wounding.
She also admitted counts of intentional strangulation, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage.
Danielle Donovan, defending, said her client – whose Facebook post also states she was engaged on New Year’s Day 2020 – was “embarrassed and shocked” by her behavior but said she suffered from ADHD and was struggling to cope with life.
In handing down the sentence, which was suspended for 18 months, Judge Bate said he took into account Galligan’s neurodivergence and her guilty pleas and accepted the prospect of rehabilitation was ‘good’.
Galligan attended the £25,000-a-year Norwich School – formerly King Edward VI Grammar School, which was founded in 1547 under a royal charter granted by Edward VI and whose alumni include Admiral Lord Nelson
The defendant, who admitted charges including unlawful wounding and malicious strangulation, was given a two-year suspended prison sentence.
She was also ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work, for which she was given a maximum 20 days rehabilitation activity requirement, and a restraining order was imposed banning her from contacting the victim directly or indirectly for four years.
Norwich School is a private selective day school whose history dates back to 1096, when it was founded as an Episcopal grammar school by Herbert de Losinga, the first Bishop of Norwich.
It moved in the early 16th century to the Grade II listed Blackfriars Hall, which was formerly a Dominican priory church, before being re-erected under the royal charter.
It moved to its current location next to Norwich Cathedral in 1551.
Other alumni at the school, which has around 1,200 pupils aged between four and 18, include billionaire former Tory deputy leader and pollster Lord Ashcroft.
Detective Sergeant Amy Nunn said after the hearing: “I would like to thank the victim for the courage he showed in coming forward and supporting our investigation.
“Thanks to his courage and the dedication of the investigation team, we were able to bring Shannon Galligan to court so that a judge could sentence her.
Judge Anthony Bate said Galligan had committed ‘serious domestic abuse’
‘We would always encourage anyone who has experienced domestic abuse to come forward, knowing they will receive support.’
The Crime Survey for England and Wales for the year ending March 2025 found that an estimated 2.2 million women and 1.5 million men, aged 16 and over, had experienced domestic abuse in the previous 12 months.
This corresponded to approximately 9.1 percent of women and 6.5 percent of men.
A significantly higher proportion of people in the 16 to 19 and 20 to 24 age groups were victims of domestic violence, compared to people aged 25 and over.
Last month it emerged that within three years more than 9,000 domestic abusers will be walking the streets of Britain under Labour’s early release scheme.
