MAN JAILED FOR CONTROLLING BEHAVIOUR AND ATTACKS ON WOMAN
A man received a 32-month prison sentence and a decade-long restraining order after engaging in a pattern of controlling and coercive actions toward a woman in Stockport.Mark Mellish, born on 12 December 1988 and resident in Stockport, was sentenced at Bolton Crown Court on 31 July to two years and eight months after pleading guilty to charges related to controlling behavior.
The investigation was initiated after police responded to a call regarding an alleged crime in July 2024.
Subsequent inquiries uncovered numerous episodes of controlling conduct by Mellish, who had established a relationship with the woman in 2021.
His guilty plea included charges of two assaults, one involving strangulation, and numerous threatening calls and messages to monitor her whereabouts when apart from him.
The first assault in 2022 involved an incident during a trip to Spain, where Mellish kicked her in the back of the head at a Fuerteventura bar and threw her phone away.
This occurred while she was on FaceTime with her daughter.
Another assault saw Mellish push her against a wall and slap her, resulting in a bruise on her back; their daughters were present at the time.
In December 2023, Mellish attacked her again, grabbing her by the throat and squeezing briefly before releasing her, with her children watching.
Despite a July 2024 arrest and bail with strict instructions to avoid contact, Mellish persisted in calling and pressuring her to recant her statement, even threatening self-harm.
This persistent contact included frequent ringing of her phone during a police appointment.
After notifying authorities about breaches of bail and coercion, Mellish was re-arrested on 5 October 2024 and kept in custody.
He later admitted to engaging in controlling and coercive behavior in court on 1 April 2025.
