'Violent Bully' in court for abusing his girlfriend

A ‘violent bully’ allegedly held his girlfriend by the throat and repeatedly thumped her around the face – Bournemouth Crown Court heard yesterday.
31-year-old Andrew Gilchrist of Johnston Road in Poole, told the court that he had ‘chosen the wrong girl’, when he pleaded not guilty to malicious wounding of his girlfriend.
Karen Turner claimed that, after an argument over an ex-boyfriend in January 2006, Mr Gilchrist violently attacked her.
The court heard that Mr Gilchrist allegedly held Ms Turner against the bed by her throat and then repeatedly thumped her on the side of her face.
After Ms Turner ran down the stairs, Mr Gilchrist again allegedly pinned her down by her throat and punched her several times.
The prosecution Barnaby Shaw told the court that Ms Turner managed to stab Mr Gilchrist with a piece of floor tile, enabling her to get away ‘just in time’.
It was reported that Ms Turner left the house wearing no shoes, nor top under her coat.
The prosecution said that Mr Gilchrist was a ‘violent bully’ and that Ms Turner had run from the house to ‘get away from the violence’.
Mr Gilchrist however denied the accusations.
He claimed that Ms Turner had been seeing a psychiatrist and was “going mad” when she “flailed her arms at him” and stabbed him with a piece of tile.
“I got the wrong relationship with the wrong girl” said Mr Gilchrist.
“She’s got a problem and she’s doing it all out of context”.
“I never hit a woman and I never would”.
The case continues in court and a verdict has not yet been decided.