MARC LONG

A man described as obsessive and possessive, who physically assaulted his partner by punching her over 100 times and kept her confined in a distressing ordeal, has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Marc Long entered into a relationship with the woman and moved into her residence, but she recognized early warning signs.

By September of the previous year, she had developed romantic feelings for another man.

On September 14, Long found text messages on her phone from her and the other man, which enraged him.

Between 6 pm that day and 4 am the next morning, he assaulted her at her home on Mullins Close, Basingstoke, as court proceedings revealed.

During the attack, the victim was thrown against a wall, had her face slammed into the sofa, was punched at least ten times in her back, strangled, and spat directly into her face.

Prosecutor Charles Gabb explained that Long made threats implying she would die and suggested her only way to leave was in a body bag.

She made multiple attempts to escape, but he continually dragged her back inside.

The court was told that around 4 am, Long’s rage subsided into a state of self-pity, with the prosecutor describing the scene as almost a total shift in his emotional state.

The victim was extremely frightened and distressed during the entire event.

She escaped the house and went to her mother’s home while visibly bruised, with disheveled hair and tears.

Police responded, but Long falsely accused her of having assaulted him.

Judge Nicholas Haggan QC noted Long’s jealousy and suspicion of infidelity, which led him to call her a cheating rat before physically attacking her.

Over approximately 11 hours, she estimates he punched her at least 100 times and kept her imprisoned for about four hours.

At one stage, the victim told authorities she was so desperate she thought about climbing out of a third-story bathroom window.

Long had earlier pleaded guilty to charges including false imprisonment, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and criminal damage.

During mitigation, solicitor Francisca da Costa explained that Long, who did not have a permanent address, was upset after seeing the messages.

She clarified that his remorse did not excuse his conduct, but also highlighted his history of anger issues, which originated from childhood domestic abuse.

He has been taking courses in custody to work on controlling his anger.