'I was almost killed in attack - but call saved my life'

Warning: This article contains distressing details.

"He's trying to kill me, he said he's going to kill me," is what Caz Goddard managed to tell a 999 call handler while being violently attacked by her ex-partner.

After months in a coercive relationship, Caz said she finally asked James Stock to leave her home near Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset in July last year. The next thing she remembered was Stock knocking her to the floor and strangling her.

Caz managed to escape and run to her room, where she called 999. While secretly still on the phone to police, Stock dragged her outside and repeatedly punched and kicked her.

The call handler feared Caz was being killed in the 16 minutes it took for officers to arrive. When police found her, they too feared she was dead due to the extent of her injuries.

Stock, 40, from Clevedon, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for attempted murder at Bristol Crown Court earlier.

Passing sentence, judge Mr Justice Picton said: "You were doing all you could to try and take the life of Caroline Goddard and you only came to your senses when you must have thought she was dead, and as the police were approaching."

Caz, who runs a charity cooking meals for homeless people, said she "didn't see any flaws" in Stock when they first met through friends in September 2024, and they became a couple the following January.

However, months later, she said he began lying, cheating and ghosting her.

He also started to send her insulting messages describing her as "ugly" and a "skank", and he lied to her repeatedly about dating apps and messages from "women everywhere".

In April 2025, Caz attempted suicide and was told by the doctor treating her in hospital that she was experiencing domestic abuse.

Weeks later, Stock became physically violent, too.

"This lovely bubble that I lived in was slowly starting to burst. I couldn't work out what or why it was happening. It was driving me insane," Caz told the BBC.

In July, when she eventually asked him to leave the house and "never come back", he threatened to either kill her or one of her dogs.

"The next thing, I'm on the floor, but I'm on the floor getting strangled in a way that I cannot breathe," she said.

"I was screaming, 'James, I love you, I won't tell anyone, I promise, it's fine, I love you'... at that point, I knew I was in trouble. I knew it was serious."

She managed to escape the house and dial 999 before hiding her phone, but Stock quickly caught up with her and "smashed" her face against a rockery.

Fortunately, the call handler, Jasmine Cox, heard the whole 16-minute ordeal.

It was only her second solo call in the role.

"It was pretty much straight away that I knew something wasn't right, and then within a couple of seconds it escalated massively," Cox said.

"You could tell [Stock] was in a rage and taking it out on Caz.

"You could hear the fact that she was being punched, she was being dragged along the floor, you could tell that she was in and out of consciousness because she was responding and not responding.

"It was upsetting, it was distressing, and at that point I genuinely thought she potentially could've been dead."

The police officers who attended said they were unsure if Caz was alive when they arrived at the scene.

Stock was then arrested, but refused to answer police questions.

Caz said she is still living with the consequences a year on from the attack.

She said she struggles to breathe and is awaiting surgery for a broken nose, while mentally, she has been left with post-traumatic stress disorder and night terrors.

Passing sentence, judge Picton said the "psychological impact" the attack had on Caz was "severe".

Picton called the attack "sustained and horrific", noting on the night in question Stock had been drinking and had taken cocaine, meaning he could not control his temper.

"There were points during the night where you could have withdrawn but you continued to act in a way which was terrifying for the victim," he said.

"The recording of the attack makes for difficult listening."

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Caz said she now struggles to sleep because of nightmares.

"I don't think I'll ever recover. I won't go out - I used to attend the gym now I can't do that. I can't speak to anyone... I am stuck and I feel frustrated and confused. I don't know what I did...

"You ruined my life," she said.

Speaking directly to Caz, Picton said she showed "great bravery" by coming to the trial.

Stock must serve two-thirds of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. He was also handed a lifetime restraining order, meaning he must never contact Goddard or go to her address.

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