MARK NEWTON FROM ANNFIELD PLAIN SENTENCED FOR HORRIFIC SEXUAL ASSAULTS AND VIOLENCE IN COUNTY DURHAM

In March 2021, a series of heinous crimes committed by Mark Newton, a 29-year-old man from Annfield Plain in County Durham, came to light during a court hearing at Newcastle Crown Court. Newton was found guilty of multiple serious offenses involving two women, including sexual assault, threats with weapons, and physical violence, revealing a disturbing pattern of predatory behavior.

The court heard that Newton subjected one of his victims to a terrifying ordeal where he sat on her and threatened to blind her with a cigarette. During this assault, he pulled her eye open and held the lit cigarette dangerously close to her eye, causing immense fear and trauma. Prosecutor Gavin Doig described Newton as posing a high risk of causing serious harm to women, emphasizing the severity of his actions and the danger he represented.

Further details revealed that Newton had used a knife to threaten another woman before raping her. During this assault, he ominously told her, “I’m going to make sure this f****** hurts,” indicating his intent to inflict pain and suffering. The court also learned that Newton had held a machete while threatening to cut a different victim’s vagina, while also restraining her by the throat. These threats were accompanied by physical assaults, including assault by penetration with his fingers, and threats to kill her family members if she did not comply with his demands.

The victims provided emotional testimonies, describing the profound impact the assaults had on their lives. One victim stated that the experience had left her feeling unable to be alone in her own home, citing ongoing physical and mental health struggles. The other victim expressed her fear for her life and her continued anxiety about being in her own house, illustrating the lasting trauma inflicted by Newton’s actions.

Newton pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including one count of rape, two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm, controlling and coercive behavior, assault by penetration, and threats to kill. His guilty pleas came after a series of violent and threatening acts that demonstrated a pattern of controlling and abusive behavior.

In sentencing, Judge Recorder Mark McKone described Newton as a dangerous offender who posed a significant threat to women. He sentenced Newton to 14 years and three months in prison, with an extended license period of five years. The judge condemned Newton’s extreme desire to degrade his victims, noting that he had grabbed both women by the throat, threatened them with knives, and expressed no remorse for his actions. The pre-sentence report indicated that Newton showed no responsibility for his crimes, dismissing the victims’ accounts as “a load of s***” and describing them as “psychos.”

Judge McKone emphasized that Newton believed he had done nothing wrong and appeared to have manipulated the legal process to his advantage by pleading guilty. The court’s decision underscores the seriousness of Newton’s crimes and the ongoing threat he poses to the safety of women in County Durham and beyond.