Cardiff man jailed for strangling partner unconscious

A Cardiff man has been jailed for 30 months after strangling his partner until she lost consciousness on two separate occasions and hitting her over the head with a glass vodka bottle.

Mark Wheeler, 48, subjected his victim to horrific violence during their “extremely toxic” year-long relationship, which she had tried to end multiple times by reporting him to police before withdrawing complaints to continue the relationship.

October 25 incident

The first attack occurred after Wheeler had been drinking heavily and the couple had been arguing at their home. When his partner tried to stop him getting more vodka by blocking the stairs, he grabbed her around the neck with both hands and squeezed until she passed out.

Later that evening, he pushed her to the floor in the bedroom and strangled her again until she lost consciousness. When she came to, she could hear Wheeler laughing and telling her to “stop pretending”.

The victim suffered ringing and severe pain in her right ear. Wheeler then told her to wear long sleeves and a hoodie to hide her injuries.

October 28 incident

Three days later, the woman returned home to find Wheeler inside drinking and the house locked. When she eventually got in and asked him to leave, he followed her upstairs, called her “fat and ugly”, and pulled at her wig before punching her in the head.

Wheeler then strangled her again, causing her to scream for help. He picked up an empty vodka bottle, threatened to kill her, and hit her twice over the head with it.

Victim’s powerful statement

Reading her own victim personal statement at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court, the woman said: “I always ask myself: ‘Why me?’ He knew my struggles and saw my bruises from previous abuse. He held me when I cried and promised me a better life. I believed him and thought I’d found the one who would love, care, and support me but he took that promise away from me with his fists…

“I have been suicidal – he made me not want to get up in the morning. I nearly lost my job as I was too scared to face people. I spent days in bed crying thinking: ‘Why did he try to kill me?’ You strangled me a few times and tried to take my life. My bruises have healed but my mental scars never will…

“I can’t hate you – I don’t hold any hate in my heart. I hope you get the help you need and get better. Heal for me please. I will always love you – I choose to remember the good and not the bad. That’s my therapy. I hope you think about what you’ve done and realise the abuse you caused was wrong.”

Wheeler, of Main Road, Gwaelod-y-Garth, pleaded guilty to two counts of intentional strangulation and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He has no previous convictions.

His defence said alcoholism was the reason for his offending but stressed this was not an “excuse”.

Judge Jeremy Jenkins said: “In the judgement of this court any man who uses violence against a woman is too serious to be dealt with by anything less than a custodial sentence. It is the ultimate act of cowardice for a man to hit a woman.”