A father of three who subjected his ex-partner to a 'nasty and intimidating' stalking campaign, including smearing cat excrement on her sofa and pouring bleach into her washing machine, has been spared jail. Marcus Sprawling, 35, from Ingatestone, Essex, repeatedly let himself into the woman's home in Sheerness, Kent, using a spare key after returning his own following their breakup.
Maidstone Crown Court heard that Sprawling's three-week campaign between October 15 and November 7, 2020, involved smashing a TV, hallway mirror, elephant ornament, and glass jug, as well as ripping furniture and her bra. The damage totalled about £1,500. The woman, who had dated Sprawling for eight months and worked with him, was left 'extremely petrified' and had security measures installed.
Prosecutor Ian Foinette said the victim often returned home from work or woke in the early hours to find damage. After gluing an elephant ornament back together, she found it smashed again four days later. Despite warning Sprawling she would report him, his behaviour escalated. On October 25, she found a hallway mirror smashed; two days later, her TV was smashed, bleach was in her washing machine, and her bra was torn in half.
Sprawling initially denied wrongdoing but later pleaded guilty to stalking. The court heard he had since given up alcohol, married, and become a father for the third time, with no further offences. Judge Oliver Saxby KC noted his guilty plea and rehabilitation but said the offence was 'serious domestic abuse' that was 'nasty, intimidating, frightening, and sustained'. Sprawling was given a suspended sentence and ordered to carry out unpaid work.
