A jealous Tyneside boyfriend who bit chunks out of his girlfriend's face and cut her with a knife during a terrifying attack has been jailed.
Marc McAloon, 21, of North View, Felling, Gateshead, appeared at Newcastle Moot Hall via video link from HMP Durham on Monday to be sentenced for criminal damage, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, intentional strangulation, threats to kill, and false imprisonment. He had pleaded guilty to the offences.
The Attack
The court heard McAloon and the victim had been in an on-off relationship marred by his jealousy. Between October 10 and 11 last year, the couple had been out celebrating McAloon's 20th birthday with friends. He had been drinking and taking cocaine during the celebration. When the group returned to his home, he became aggressive and accused his partner of messaging other men.
After going through her phone, McAloon saw that she still had contacts he'd previously told her to delete. He snapped her phone in half and unleashed a violent attack.
Mairi Clancy, prosecuting, said: "He grabbed her by her hair and got on top of her. Their friends intervened but he threatened them. He followed her into the garden and took her to the ground. He put his hands round her throat and pressed hard, affecting her ability to breathe. She briefly passed out and came round to feel the defendant repeatedly punching her to the side of her face. He tried to gouge her eyes out and pressed his fingers into her mouth forcibly, pulling her jaw apart. He bit her eyebrow."
Threats and Violence
The court heard McAloon also made threats to kill her if she didn't get in the house and kept her inside for at least nine hours. During this time, he continued to hit her and strangled her on a second occasion, again resulting in her briefly losing consciousness.
Ms Clancy said: "The defendant armed himself with a knife and caused cuts that bled. He made comments he enjoyed hitting her and between assaults would take on a different persona, where he would cuddle and kiss her. She would reject this and he would suddenly revert back to being violent."
The ordeal finally ended when the victim persuaded McAloon to book her a taxi. However, when it arrived, she had to escape the home when he made further threats and went to fetch a knife. Her brother later took her to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Ms Clancy added: "Police went to hospital. [The victim] had injuries to her face and neck and chunks of her outer skin were missing. There were slice marks to her neck."
Victim Impact
In a statement, the victim said she "feels lucky to be alive" but now struggles mentally with day-to-day life. She said: "The level of violence he used against me was sadistic. I genuinely believed I would die that night. I have vivid memories of him smiling and laughing. I was in survival mode." She added: "I have a fear of cannibalism and I know that's why he repeatedly bit me on the face. He described me as food."
Rachel Hedworth, defending, said McAloon has a significant history of physical and emotional trauma and has little recollection of the attack. She said he was subjected to "significant ill-treatment and violence" and "systematic abuse" at the hands of his mother who "resented him". Ms Hedworth said: "He has been treated in his life worse than an animal." The court heard that at the age of 16, McAloon was living in a caravan with no windows and had to resort to drinking water intended for horses.
Sentencing McAloon, Recorder Brian Whitehead said he subjected the victim to a "10-hour ordeal" that had elements of "sadistic conduct". He was jailed for 57 months and made subject of a lifelong restraining order.
