Monster jailed for shocking torture of woman – forcing her to eat her own hair from dog bowl
A vicious thug who kept a woman prisoner in his flat and subjected her to horrific abuse has been locked up for nearly four years.
Brutal attack in West London flat
Karl Soames, 25, unleashed a terrifying rampage on his victim on 9 May 2019 in his Tavistock Crescent flat, W11. He cut off her hair and forced her to eat it from a dog bowl.
That was just the start. Soames poured boiling water on her, stabbed her with scissors, whipped her with a coat hanger, and repeatedly battered her head using a metal pole and marble pestle.
To add to the horror, he made her clean up dog faeces in the cruelest humiliation. All the while, Soames threatened to have her raped and killed if she dared try to escape.
Escape and shocking evidence
The victim finally fled the nightmare the next morning when Soames sent her out on an errand, swathed in a headscarf to hide her injuries.
He even bragged about the savage attack in a phone call to his brother — footage that helped police crack the case. His claimed alibi was busted when investigators found he was abroad during the assault.
Justice served – cold-hearted thug shows no remorse
On 12 October, Soames admitted section 20 grievous bodily harm, false imprisonment, and threats to kill, though the latter charges were left on file. The following day, Isleworth Crown Court heard how the attack was a sustained, calculated assault on a vulnerable woman.
“You made constant threats of a chilling nature and degraded her with cutting her hair and making her pick up dog faeces. You boasted about it. It is sadistic and you have shown no remorse whatsoever,” said HHJ Curtis-Raleigh.
Police praise victim’s courage
Detective Constable Chris Willey called it one of the most serious domestic abuse cases he’d seen. He praised the victim’s “remarkable strength” and expressed hope the jail term helps her heal.
“If I hadn’t been made to run an errand that morning, I don’t think I would have made it out alive,” the woman said bravely.
Soames was sentenced to three years and ten months behind bars for his sickening spree of violence and cruelty.
