County Durham man locked up for horrific Halloween assault

Mark Bellingham repeatedly punched the woman to the face before grabbing her head and kneeing her to the face when he lost his temper.

Durham Crown Court heard how the 41-year-old punched his victim twice before leaving the house and being locked outside.

Jon Harley, prosecuting, said the defendant then kicked his way back into her home before punching her to the face again and delivering several blows with his knee.

He said: “Enraged, he punched her another twice to the face and took hold of her head, forcing it downwards and kneed her to the chin repeatedly.

“At that point he appeared to regain his temper, calm down and became apologetic saying ‘he shouldn’t have done it’.

“All of this was witnessed by the victim’s young daughter.”

In a victim impact statement, the woman said she felt unsettled following the assault and the attack had impacted on her daughter’s behaviour.

The woman suffered two facial fractures that didn’t require surgery but she was prescribed with painkillers, the judge heard.

Mr Harley said the defendant was given a four-month prison sentence for possession of cannabis and a bladed article which he was carrying at the time of his arrest over the violence.

Mark Bellingham (Image: Durham Constabulary)

Bellingham, of Snowdon Place, Peterlee, County Durham, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm on the woman on October 31 last year.

Mark Styles, mitigating, said his client had served the equivalent of a 15-month sentence while on remand and is still at a loss as to what caused him to behave in that way.

He added: “He has no history of violence and bitterly regrets acting in that way.”

See more court stories from The Northern Echo by clicking here

• Woman denies acting as lookout for mob-handed group accused of murder
• Murder victim's son - 'Please never let this man see the light of day again'
• GUILTY: Drug addict jailed for stabbing friend to death to steal her jewellery

Get more from The Northern Echo with a digital subscription. To get access to our latest offer Click here.

Judge Richard Bennett told the defendant that his violent attack must have been traumatic for the child to witness as he locked him up for two years and six months.

“All of this occurred in the presence of that young child who had to watch you beat her mother – it must have been a dreadful experience for her,” he said.

“It’s clear that you hit her with significant force. The victim has lost confidence and is still suffering from the pain.”

The County Durham man was also made subject to a ten-year restraining order to protect his victim.