Burglar jailed for 'brutal' stabbing at woman's home

Warning: Graphic violence and upsetting content

A man who posed for photos with weapons and filmed himself carrying out acts of animal cruelty has been jailed for attempting to kill a woman during a burglary at her house.

Elliott Mallett, 24, broke into the home of Sharon Farthing, 48, of Admiral Road, in Pinewood on the edge of Ipswich, on 7 December 2024.

After being disturbed by the victim, Mallett, of Hawthorn Drive in nearby Chantry, stabbed her eight times in the neck, face, hands, shoulder and leg with a carving knife.

Mallet was found guilty of attempted murder and aggravated burglary at Ipswich Crown Court, and he was jailed for 30 years, with a further five years on licence.

Judge Martyn Levett described the attack as "unprovoked, shocking and brutal" during Monday's sentencing hearing.

He added that one of Mallet's motives was to steal expensive items he could then sell to fund the purchase of a PlayStation 5 for his girlfriend.

"The intrusion into Sharon Farthing's own home and attack has had an overwhelming and devastating impact on her," added the judge.

The court heard Ms Farthing, who has a seven-year-old son but was at home on her own, was getting ready upstairs to go out for a Christmas meal on that Saturday just before 17:00 GMT.

She was listening to music and using a hairdryer but then "sensed a breeze in the air" which she assumed was the arrival of her friends.

After going to investigate she "saw a shadow move" in the living room before she was confronted by Mallett on the stairs.

He then produced the eight-inch knife and attacked her.

She managed to get away and get help from a neighbour as Mallett fled the scene towards Ellenbrook Park with her gym bag, moisturiser and earphones.

When approached by police in the park a short time later he claimed he had just been the victim of an attempted knifepoint robbery. He was arrested the next day.

The court heard Ms Farthing, who likes boxing, joined the Royal Navy in 1995 and became a personal trainer before joining Suffolk Police in 2005 before becoming a lifestyle coach.

Judge Levett said he believed the outcome would have been "worse, if not fatal" had she not have been so physically fit.

During the three-week trial the contents of Mallet's phone revealed a "strong fascination with weaponry, right-wing ideology, and violence".

Numerous selfies showed him posing with weapons and imitation firearms, often against a backdrop of Donald Trump posters.

Videos of him capturing and killing animals by beheading them, striking them with weapons, and burning them with flames were also found.

In court, Ms Farthing described the attack as "controlled and deeply disturbing" and that it had resulted in her being "consumed by trauma... deeply violated".

"Everything has changed because of one man's selfish and gutless decision; I suffer from flashbacks and now feel more vulnerable than I ever have in my life," she said.

"The physical injuries are a constant reminder of how close I came to losing my life, but the emotional scars run even deeper."

Det Ch Insp Matt Adams of Suffolk Police commended "the incredible courage and resilience shown" by the victim.

"Mallet was very calculated and deliberate in his approach and is clearly a very dangerous individual who will now spend many years in prison reflecting on his actions."

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