Mark Green (Image: South Wales Police)
Last Updated: 59 seconds ago
A man previously jailed for manslaughter in Ireland throttled his former wife until she could barely breathe during a violent assault on Christmas Day, Swansea Crown Court has heard.
Mark Green, 38, of no fixed abode, had been invited to spend the festive period at his ex-partner’s home in Penlan after she took pity on him because he had nowhere else to go. He repaid that generosity with a sustained and frightening campaign of violence fuelled by cocaine and cannabis.
The attack
Prosecutor Ryan Bowen told the court that Green left the property on Christmas Day last year to buy cocaine before returning and consuming the drug alongside cannabis. He became aggressive and unsteady on his feet, and his ex-partner helped him to bed.
Green then turned on the woman, shoving her into a chest of drawers before fleeing the property. He came back later that night and launched a second, more serious assault – pushing her over and wrapping both hands around her throat, choking her while shouting: “Come on! Let’s see what you’re made of!”
He bit her on the nose, cheek, and ring finger. The woman managed to break free and escaped to a neighbour’s house, but Green followed and shouted through the letterbox that he would “come for her” if she contacted police. He then went back inside the property.
Previous incident
The court heard the Christmas Day violence was not an isolated event. A month earlier, Green – this time in drink – had thrown his ex-partner to the floor and bitten her before later pushing her over a baby gate during a row about keys.
Arrest and aftermath
Officers arrived at around quarter past midnight and found Green in the kitchen, where he was arrested. During interview he claimed he had been the victim of abusive behaviour at the hands of his ex-partner. The complainant later discovered Green had also damaged her DJ equipment and mobile phone.
Impact and sentencing
In a statement read to the court, the victim said she believed she was going to die when Green strangled her, describing how she felt she had been “fighting to remain alive”.
The Dublin-born defendant had been convicted at trial at magistrates’ court of strangulation, battery, and two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and had earlier pleaded guilty to criminal damage. He has no previous convictions in the UK but was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment for manslaughter by an Irish court in May 2009.
Sarah John, defending, said Green had lived in the UK for 12 years without any convictions prior to these offences. She told the court he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and substance misuse issues, and that his family had arranged for him to enter rehab in Northern Ireland upon his release. A number of character references had been submitted, including one from a former Garda officer who described Green as an “intrinsically good man”.
Recorder Mark Powell KC told the defendant that his ex-partner had taken him in over Christmas because he had nowhere else to go, but he had repaid that kindness with violence.
Green was sentenced to three years in prison. He will serve up to half that term in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community
