A woman beater who unleashed a 'nasty' attack on his ex-partner in Ilkeston has been jailed. During the incident, one of their young children begged: "Daddy, go away - please stop."
Derby Crown Court heard how Mark Burgin dragged the victim by her hair. He also punched and kneed her to the face and head time after time.
Part of the 42-year-old's assault was witnessed by the couple's young children as they sat in a car. And after she managed to get away from him, the defendant turned his attention to that vehicle - kicking the door and punching at the window telling the woman inside it: "Let me in. I am going to kill you."
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Jailing Burgin for two years, Judge Shaun Smith KC said: "How on earth she only finished with such minor injuries God only knows, it is only good fortune you are not here on more serious charges. Your children must have been absolutely terrified to see their father doing this to their mother."
Alan Murphy, prosecuting, said the incident took place at a house in Cotmanhay Road at around 3.20pm on November 12 this year. He said the defendant and the victim has been in a 10-year relationship but she had ended it two months previously owing to his controlling behaviour, especially when he had either been drinking or taking drugs.
The prosecutor said the woman and a friend arrived at the address to pick up a pair of boots and while the victim went inside the other woman looked after the children inside the car. Mr Murphy said: "The defendant drove up to the address on his brother's motorbike and rushed inside uninvited.
"He was angry, he picked up a lamp which she (the victim) thought he was going to hit her with it but it was plugged in so he used it to smash a TV. She had gone into the kitchen and he picked up a microwave oven and threw it at her.
"He then grabbed her by the hair and pulled her down and began repeatedly punching and kneeing her to the head and face. She was able to run outside and tried to hold the door closed so he could not get to her.
"She had grabbed an iron and he grabbed her again by the hair. She was able to hit him with the iron." Mr Murphy said the children and the friend inside the car then watched as the defendant carried on attacking the victim with the friend estimating he kneed or punched her 15 to 20 times.
He said she described it as a 'ferocious attack' where Burgin used 'full force punches' on his ex-partner. The prosecutor said the landlady of a nearby pub, having witnessed what was taking place, got the woman away from the scene and at that point the defendant turned on the car.
Mr Murphy said: "He kicked the window and punched the door saying 'let me in, I am going to kill you'. This was in full view of his client and she was very scared by this.
"One of the children said 'daddy, go away - please stop." The police arrived and Burgin, of Dovedale Circle, Cotmanhay, and who has 36 previous convictions for 92 offences to his name, was arrested. He later pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, affray, criminal damage, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
He also admitted the offences put him in breach of a suspended sentence order. Will Bennett, mitigating, said his client was 'realistic' about the inevitable prison sentence he was handed.
He said: "It was a nasty offence, the defendant knows that and he's not proud of his behaviour. He has long-standing mental health problems linked to his drink and drugs intake, he was at a low ebb and he was struggling.
"His mitigation is short but powerful in that knowing the complainant and the other witnesses might be reluctant to attend court (for a trial) he still entered a guilty plea." As well as the jail sentence, Judge Smith disqualified Burgin from driving for two years.
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