Monster who blinded girlfriend by gouging out her eyes whines he should be freed

A thug who blinded his former partner by gouging out her eyes during a 12-hour hostage ordeal has whined he should be released from prison. Shane Jenkin, 48, claims a Parole Board decision to deny his release was "irrational" - despite experts saying he still "struggles to fully accept" his victim's account of what happened. Documents reveal he spent just three months in the community after being moved to an open prison last year. The move sparked anger from Tina Nash, 44, who believed he would never be released. Truro Crown Court heard his attack on her was one of the worst cases of domestic abuse the UK had ever seen. Jenkin throttled her, broke her nose and jaw, and gouged out her eyes as her two children slept next door. He admitted grievous bodily harm and was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of six years in 2012. He was denied release in July but launched an appeal against the decision. Dismissing the application, Peter Jones, on behalf of the Parole Board, said Jenkin "continues to struggle to fully accept the victim's account" and revealed he was still "on anti-psychotic medication". Speaking last year as Jenkin was moved to an open prison, mum-of-two Tina, from Cornwall, said: "They have let a man that committed the most horrific attack on me roam the streets. This man will not be safe in public. "I not only fear for my life but I also fear for the safety of other women that may encounter Jenkin. I have been informed that the first thing Jenkin will do is to come for me. I feel very scared for my safety - I'm living a nightmare." Jenkin launched his ferocious drink-fuelled attack on Tina on the evening of April 21, 2011. He had watched a DVD featuring eye gouging a day earlier, Truro Crown Court heard. He went upstairs, covered Tina's head and draped his 17-and-a-half stone body on top of her. He strangled her until she lost consciousness. According to a judgement from the Court of Appeal, during which Jenkin unsuccessfully challenged his sentence, judges said: "The next thing she knew was [Jenkin] pulling the duvet away, saying, 'Oh, my God, your eye is hanging out of your head'. "'Oh, my God, look at your face. You're blind. It's all your fault. I'm going to get 20 years for this. You're blind and you're not going to see your kids grow up. It's all your fault.'" The attack left the young mum completely blind and permanently disfigured a month before she turned 30. Her sons were aged 13 and three at the time of the attack. Jenkin was initially detained under the Mental Health Act but was transferred to the prison estate in 2013. He was moved to an open prison in February 2025. Despite his heinous crime, Jenkin has now said the decision to block his release was "irrational" because there was "unanimous professional support for release and no further testing on [licence] was recommended". But the Parole Board's Mr Jones said: "The Panel was obviously conscious that [Jenkin] had resided in either a hospital or a prison environment for the previous 15 years and that, while he has made significant progress, it remained the case that he had only spent time unaccompanied and unsupervised in the community for less than three months prior to the oral hearing on very restricted terms and had not, as yet, been sufficiently tested or reintegrated into the community. "Accordingly, the Panel was of the clear view that a further period of vigorous testing in the community, of the sort which the Panel outlined, was essential before he could be safely released." Mr Jones dismissed Jenkin's appeal. Speaking to the Mirror in 2024, Tina said: "I know he regrets not finishing me off. I still have a voice. If I wasn't here to tell the story I would have been swept under the carpet and become just another statistic and he would have been clear to come out, get a new girlfriend and start the cycle of abuse all over again. "So I know next time he hurts someone he is going to finish them off. He should be in maximum security for the rest of his days, not allowed to live in peace and freedom at some soft jail. It's disgusting." For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk. If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit www.aafda.org.uk