The police officer who beat and kicked his ex-girlfriend in an attempt to induce a miscarriage has been given 10 years in prison. Matthew Cherry, 35, attacked 27-year-old Caroline Craft in her apartment in Bournemouth, Dorset in England. He was the father of Craft’s unborn baby, who is now a healthy 15-month-old boy.
According to prosecutors, Cherry had been pressuring Craft to abort ever since he learned of her pregnancy. Testimony in court claim that Cherry thought the baby would “ruin his life.” The couple repeatedly argued about the pregnancy. Craft steadfastly refused to abort, and they separated.
Sometime later, Cherry decided to take matters into his own hands. Wearing a mask and balaclava, he forced himself into Craft’s apartment and attacked her. According to Matthew Jewell, the prosecutor:
“ She opened the door, which was then pushed violently from outside, and she was either pushed or punched to the floor. She was then attacked with multiple punches to her stomach and back, in a way which targeted her unborn child. She shouted for help and a gloved hand was placed over her mouth. She was also kicked. She pointed out valuable items in case this was a robbery or burglary but her attacker showed no interest in taking anything. She was dragged into the bathroom and forced to sit on the toilet. The male said he would tie her up. She was absolutely terrified about what was happening to her in her own home.”
The assault only ended when a visitor came to Craft’s door, and the attacker fled.
Prosecutors soon began building a case against Matthew Cherry. Cherry had made threats to Craft and her roommate, telling them that he would punch her in the stomach and cause her to miscarry. In addition, he had asked a colleague about the best way to induce a miscarriage. Footprints found at the scene matched a size 10 pair of Nike Dart Trainers shoes owned by Cherry. He had thrown away the shoes, along with the clothes he had worn during the attack, but the empty shoebox was found in his home. Witnesses also placed him at the apartment earlier, loitering suspiciously, and possibly scoping out an escape route. In addition to the descriptions of witnesses, cell phone data proved that Cherry had been in the area, although he apparently left his cell phone elsewhere for the actual attack.
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Prosecutors argued that Cherry’s knowledge of police tactics and investigative procedure caused him to cover his tracks very carefully.
In a statement read in court, Craft said that she was “still struggling to come to terms with the attack”.
She added: “When I look at [my son ] I cannot imagine my life without him. I cannot dare to think how the outcome might have been different if Matthew Cherry had succeeded that day.”
LifeNews.com Note: Sarah Terzo is a pro-life liberal who runs ClinicQuotes.com, a web site devoted to exposing the abortion industry.
