GRAYS DOMESTIC ABUSER WON'T GO TO PRISON DESPITE GUILT
A south Essex domestic abuser will not serve time in prison despite his victim secretly recording the attacks.But Martin Gunn, 52, of Beaverbank Road in Grays, was sentenced to more than two years behind bars - but spent so long on remand or under restrictive bail conditions that he won't face any further jail time.
Prosecutor Mark Tomassi said Gunn had exhibited “thoroughly nasty, bullying, violent, repeated behaviour.” Sentencing judge Samantha Cohen said she had listened to one “shocking” recording in which Gunn could be heard hitting his wife repeatedly.
On one occasion, Basildon Crown Court heard, Gunn tried to punch his wife “at full force” in the face.
Gunn's attacks were described as 'thoroughly nasty', 'spiteful', 'bullying' and 'shocking' (Image: Essex Police) “Because she turned in time, you struck her shoulder, causing a very nasty bruise to her back,” Judge Cohen told Gunn.
“There can be no excuse for his repeated behaviour towards her – physical violence coupled by an oppressive level of threats,” Mr Tomassi said.
“He behaves as an utter bully towards her.” Gunn was due to go on trial at Basildon Crown Court on Monday (October 27) but struck a last-minute plea bargain.
He admitted four domestic violence charges – one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) and three counts of assault by beating – and a fifth charge of coercive or controlling behaviour was permitted to lie on file.
“The defendant and his wife had been in an otherwise happy relationship, which began to deteriorate,” said Mr Tomassi.
He grew “preoccupied with people who might be looking into their property”, said Mr Tomassi, and “paranoid about what his wife was doing and who she was dating – whereas in fact, I am instructed that she was not dating anybody and if anyone was being unfaithful in the relationship, it was he.” Self-employed floor layer Gunn entered guilty pleas to assaults on his wife in June, July, August and September 2023.
After his eventual arrest, he was initially released on bail but then kept breaching it, the court heard, showing up at his wife’s home and trying to get in.
In a victim impact statement, written last year, she said: “I suffer from anxiety due to the long-term abuse… I couldn’t sleep and had to get sleeping tablets from my doctor.
“I feel that I may suffer from PTSD.
I break down into tears sometimes.” “She believes that part of the reason for that was because the defendant had become a habitual and heavy user of the Class A drug cocaine.” “Her nightmares include scenarios where Gunn was trying to kill her, and her children worry he might kill her.” She had installed a tracking app on her phone in case she went missing.
Passing sentence, Judge Cohen stated: “In the dying days of your marriage, between June and September 2023, you, whilst frequently intoxicated by alcohol or cocaine, behaved as an aggressive bully.
You were violent, spiteful and unpleasant to your wife and on several occasions you physically assaulted her.
She had the good sense to record some of it.
“Because she turned in time, you struck her shoulder, causing a very nasty bruise to her back,” she added.
He was sentenced to 25 months in prison but had already served seven-and-a-half months on remand.
His early bail breaches led to an additional 216 days spent under strict bail conditions, including a curfew.
Every day under the curfew counted as half a day off his sentence.
Subsequently, he was released and subject to a five-year restraining order banning contact or proximity within two miles of his ex-wife; breaching this could lead to a five-year jail sentence.
