Man jailed for 20yrs for Kewstoke domestic abuse attempted murder

A man has been jailed for 20 years after trying to kill a woman he was in a relationship with.

James Stock was convicted of the attempted murder of Caroline Goddard and has been sentenced for his crimes today (Wednesday 15 July).

Caroline called 999 at about 3.20am on 27 July 2025 and reported to police that Stock was trying to kill her at a property in Kewstoke, Weston-super-Mare.

James Stock was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment (Photo: Avon & Somerset Police)

He repeatedly tried to strangle her and the assault lasted 45 minutes in total. It continued while she was speaking to a police call-handler and the vicious nature of the incident could be heard during that call.

Officers attended and found Caroline unresponsive on the ground, before paramedics took her to hospital. She sustained multiple injuries, including a bruised and swollen right eye, bruising to her cheeks, legs and arms, as well as a fractured nose and swelling to her neck.

Caroline prepared a victim impact statement for the court hearing in which she explained the attack continues to affect her mental and physical health.

She said: “After the attack occurred, I could not look in the mirror. I did not recognise my own reflection, I was bruised and swollen.

“I have constant fear that James is released from custody and he tries to kill me again… I have been really struggling, not being able to sleep, and am constantly anxious.”

Stock told the arresting officer at the scene he thought he was responsible for what had happened. During interview he stated ‘no comment’ in response to multiple questions about the incident, but he buried his head in his hands when the 999 call was played back to him.

The 40-year-old, from Clevedon, was charged with intentional strangulation and attempted murder. He pleaded guilty to the former but denied the attempted murder charge. However he was convicted of that offence too after a trial at Bristol Crown Court in April.

He also pleaded guilty to one count of assault by beating relating to another physical attack on Caroline a month before.

DC Olivia Stewart, the officer in the case, said:

“James Stock carried out a brutal and sustained attack on Caroline and left her with significant injuries.

“The 999 call is truly harrowing and leaves people in no doubt how aggressively Stock attacked her and on another day he could have killed her. This was not the first time he had assaulted her, and the public is much safer with him behind bars.”

DC Stewart added: “Caroline has agreed to share her story to give other victims and survivors of domestic abuse the confidence to report and speak out about what has happened.

“She has showed incredible courage from the moment the attack began by phoning for help, and she’s supported our investigation throughout to achieve this outcome.

“Sadly, we know there will be people out there who hear Caroline’s story and will have had similar experiences of domestic abuse, or know someone who may be in an abusive relationship.

“We know reporting such crimes to us feels like a massive hurdle, but we hope Caroline’s story she’s bravely sharing gives others the confidence to come forward. We can help protect victims and survivors, while also bringing dangerous offenders, like James Stock, to justice.”