Gillingham man guilty of killing girlfriend's unborn baby
The 35-year-old assaulted his pregnant partner
Last updated 5th Nov 2021
Today a 35-year-old Gillingham man has been found guilty by Bournemouth Crown Court of child destruction, causing grievous bodily harm, causing actual bodily harm and perverting the course of justice.
Asa Davison assaulted his pregnant partner on 29th May 2020, when she was 29 weeks pregnant.
He caused serious personal injury to his partner, but also caused the death of her unborn child when he purposely caused injury to her stomach and dragged her along the floor.
The victim managed to escape from Davison and hid in a residential garden until police arrived. She was taken to hospital, but sadly lost her baby.
Davison didn't just assault her once
On 16th September 2020, Davison assaulted his partner again, causing her facial injuries. On this occasion the victim sought solace in a local church hall in such a bloodied state that she was taken to a place of safety by members of the public and attended to by the police.
Following his arrest for these serious offences, Davison went on to pervert the course of justice by making phone calls to his partner, encouraging her to make a false statement to the police.
Kate Lewis, CPS Wessex District Crown Prosecutor, said: “Right from the very beginning of this heart-breaking case, the CPS worked closely with the police to make sure there was a strong prosecution case. The evidence of witnesses, CCTV, medical professionals and mobile phone data meant that we were able to prove that Davison set out to attack his partner and cause the death of her child.
“Davison is a serial domestic abuser, whose violence caused the tragic death of an unborn baby. It is absolutely devastating to know that a baby, still entirely dependent on its mother, died at the hands of such a violent attacker.
“We are committed to protecting the most vulnerable people in our society by ensuring that violent perpetrators are brought to justice.”
Dorset Police investigation
Dorset Police say at around 11pm on Friday 29 May 2020 Davison and his then partner, who was 29 weeks pregnant, were in Gillingham town centre and she walked away from him.
The defendant was seen on CCTV on his bicycle looking for her and then followed her to an address in the town.
They left the address together and at around 11.50pm the victim ran away from Davison again as they walked back toward the town centre.
She began knocking on doors asking for help and a resident called police, who arrived at the scene. Officers attended and could see she had significant injuries to her face that appeared to be the result of an assault.
An ambulance was called and she was taken to hospital. She had sustained a number of fractures to her face and, very sadly, it was confirmed that her baby had died in her womb.
The victim admitted to a friend in hospital that Davison had lost his temper and had caused the injuries.
Detective Inspector Neil Third, of Dorset Police, said: “Domestic abuse is abhorrent in any circumstances, but what makes the actions of Asa Davison particularly shocking is the tragic consequences for the victim with the loss of her unborn child.
“We take all reports of domestic abuse extremely seriously and will do everything we can to ensure perpetrators such as Davison are brought to justice.
“We will do all we can to support victims and would encourage anyone who has been subjected to domestic abuse not to suffer in silence and please come forward.”
He will return to court to be sentenced on Tuesday 21 December 2021.
Help and advice
If you have been a victim of domestic abuse or you know someone who is being abused, please report it to Dorset Police. This can be done in confidence.
If abuse is in progress and someone is in immediate danger, call 999. Otherwise, please contact us at www.dorset.police.uk, via email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101.