Oxford News
Carterton – man jailed for punching and pushing mother
Samuel Whitmore, of Heather Close, Carterton, was jailed at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday, April 2.
The 22-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting police officers, one count of assault by beating against his mother and one count of section 20 wounding his mother.
Sandra Beck, prosecuting, told the court that Whitmore was at the Grapes and Tomatoes bar in Carterton on May 16 last year.
He was denied entry due to being intoxicated and caused a scuffle.
However, he was put in the back of a police van in handcuffs and calmed down. Suddenly his behaviour changed and he launched into a tirade of abuse at the officers, threatening ‘rape’ and saying ‘I’ll knock you all out’.
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On July 11 last year, he punched his mum in the face and then on August 12, he pushed her over. On August 13, he spat at a police officer.
Ms Beck said: “His mother has been quite scared of him when he is in drink.”
The court heard that Whitmore had been on remand in custody since August 14.
Bethan Chichester, mitigating, said: “He is a very vulnerable and troubled young man. He has a difficult relationship with his mother. It’s love and hate from both sides.
“There are often issues between them. He has very low cognitive functions.
“He wants to get himself back on track. He has been working very hard in custody. He has completed alcohol treatment courses.
“He hopes to be on a better footing when he is released. He is looking to make progress. He wants to prove to the court he is capable of changing.
“He wants support rather than being sent into custody.”
Judge Hassan Khan said: “It’s a sorry and sad state of affairs.
“Your mother has been subjected to your abuse for the last eight years.
“You punched her in the face, causing her nose to bleed. You pushed her violently from behind, causing her to fall in the road.
“You laughed at her and fled the scene. She is in constant fear of you. She is worried that one day you’re going to kill her.
“There has been a long history of abuse towards your mother. You suffer from complex post traumatic stress disorder.
“You have experienced periods of overwhelming emotional distress. Your behaviour escalates rapidly in alcohol.
“Rehabilitation is not a prospect in this case.”
Whitmore was jailed for 27 months and a restraining order against his mother for six months.
The daughter of former footballer David and ex Spice Girl Victoria lives with her family in Oxfordshire.
She had been working on a skincare line inspired by Korean beauty, initially branded HIKU by Harper and aimed at Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers.
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However, according to cosmetics industry reports and US filings, the US Patent and Trademark Office refused her first application in July “because of a likelihood of confusion” with existing trademarks already registered in the country.
Documents cited by cosmeticsbusiness.com show that “Hiku” is already protected for personal care products and fragrances, while “Harper” appears on the register for cleaning products such as brooms and scrubbing brushes – blocking the path for “HIKU by Harper” in those categories.
Coverage of the setback notes that Harper had six months to respond to the provisional refusal if she wants to challenge the decision or narrow the scope of the American filing.
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Yet, now, she is pursuing a new brand, this time focused around make-up and called Harlo by Harper.
According to The Sun, the teenager has lodged papers with the US Patent and Trademark Office asking to be granted sole rights to use the name and with the UK’s Intellectual Property Office to trademark the brand.
The aim is to launch the brand at some point next year, as the only daughter of the Beckhams seeks to build a beauty empire.
A source for the paper added that Victoria has been “guiding her every step of the way”.
Contemporary clothing label Vuori has launched a store at Bicester Village this week, its first store outside of London.
To mark the opening of the store, Bicester Village welcomed guests to an exclusive Pilates session before the shops even opened their doors.
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Headquartered in San Diego and founded more than a decade ago, the brand has built a reputation for premium, performance-led leisurewear.
The new Bicester Village store will offer a carefully curated selection of bestsellers, including its Halo pants, the Vuori All The Feels collection and pieces from its popular Tom Holland golf collaboration.
Alongside those ranges, prices will be exclusive to the outlet, making it Vuori’s first UK discount boutique location and offering shoppers in Oxfordshire a chance to snap up the brand’s signature styles at lower prices than in its standard stores.
The Deep Purple star was once the owner of The Springs Resort & Golf Club in North Stoke near Wallingford – now part of the Talacre-based Darwin Escapes portfolio
The rock singer’s guitar-shaped swimming pool is no more, but resort manager Ben Scholes said in 2024 renovations and new facilities – including the 1893 spa and Ridgeway Restaurant – have proved incredibly popular with visitors from across the UK and beyond.
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Ian Gillan has other strong Oxfordshire connections – one night early in 1983 a meeting at a different hotel in the county led to him joining heavy rock contemporaries Black Sabbath.
He told Mojo magazine’s Hello Goodbye column that he joined Black Sabbath after getting a call from Tony Iommi suggesting a drink somewhere between Birmingham and Reading.
Ian Gillan said: “We decided upon The Bear at Woodstock. I was driving an orange two-litre Fiat Mirafiori, which got rear-ended by a guy who was chasing me and didn’t see me stop at a junction.
“I pulled up outside The Bear with a wreck of a car.
“I can’t remember anything else until the next day when I had a call from my manager Phil Banfield.
“He said something along the lines of ‘Ian if you are going to be making major career decisions you should be talking to me first’.
“Apparently we had a few drinks and they (Black Sabbath) offered me the gig and I, who had nothing else on at the time, agreed.”
Ian Gillan told Mojo Black Sabbath then went straight to the Manor Studio in Shipton-on-Cherwell to record the Born Again album.
The singer added that during the recording sessions he was camping in the grounds in a small tent.
“I like camping and cooking my breakfast over an open fire. After breakfast I would go into the studio to hear what they had put down and then start work on the lyrics,” he told the magazine.
The singer left Black Sabbath after about a year, as it was agreed he should make one album and tour for a year.
He added: “I was incompatible, our backgrounds were chalk and cheese, musically and geographically.”
Ian Gillan rejoined Deep Purple in 1984 and remains a member of the band.
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