Monday 12 December 2011

Am I The Only One Who Thinks We’ll See This Guy Again..?

And for something that doesn’t end quite so well?
A kidnapper who attacked a woman and tried to bundle her into his car has been jailed for two and a half years.
Is that all..?

Given the details, I find it appallingly light…
Mark Willis, of Churchdown, tried to drag the victim to his car after targeting a couple as they walked down a road at 4.30am.

But the 36-year-old was thwarted when her partner, who he had punched and kicked in the face, called the police and pursued them.
They were complete strangers to him. And his defence was….well, see for yourself:
Although Willis admitted kidnap, he claimed he was "taking her across the road" to see what injuries she had.
And – unsurprisingly – this isn’t his first offence:
The court heard he had two previous convictions for harassment where he had repeatedly texted former girlfriends.
A nutter? Well, according to his brief, yes, but he’s all better now!
Andrew Hobson, defending, said those offences took place when his client was suffering from schizophrenia.
Which rather implies that he's not suffering from it now...
He said he had a job which would be held open for him on his release and he was the fixtures secretary for an angling club.

Urging the court not to impose a jail term, he said that his client would benefit from help in the community including a domestic violence programme.
Doesn’t sound like the community would benefit much…

Shouldn’t someone think about them once in a while?
Passing sentence at Swindon Crown Court, recorder Edward Burgess said "This was extremely serious.

"Quite what it was you intended to do with Miss Hill when you grabbed hold of her arm, I do not know.

"It was obviously a terrifying incident for Mark Sykes and Alexandra Hill, a couple simply making their way home minding their own business after enjoying a night out.

They did nothing to provoke it."
Would it be better if they had?

7 comments:

Captain Haddock said...

"He said he had a job which would be held open for him on his release and he was the fixtures secretary for an angling club" ...

WTF does any of that have to do with the offences ?

"They did nothing to provoke it" ..

"Would it be better if they had ? " ..

Definitely not .. because in the arse-about-face country we live in, they'd almost certainly have found themselves in the dock ..

Mark Wadsworth said...

no, you're not.

Ross said...

Yes, it is a lot like the kind of offence that Fred West got caught doing 30 years before his serial killing was discovered.

Woman on a Raft said...

Citizen Gloucestershire, The; May 15, 2007; 256 words ...delusional' personality problem". Mark Willis, 31, of Pirton Lane, Churchdown...Prosecutor Mary Harley said of Willis, who is currently detained under...Judge Jamie Tabor QC remanded Willis in custody at the Wotton Lawn hospital.

He was remanded for further reports, during which:

November 1, 2007
A Man who escaped from a mental hospital and made a chilling phone call to his ex-lover was told by a judge that he was dangerous.

Mark Willis, 31, of Pirton Lane, Churchdown, was to have been sentenced yesterday for breaching a restraining order designed to protect ex-girlfriend Kerry Guerin.

But Recorder Richard Tyson said he felt unable to pass sentence yet because a psychiatric report on Willis had not been along the lines he expected.

He adjourned until December 10 so a fresh psychiatric report and other pre-sentence reports can be prepared on Willis.

At the last hearing, the court was told Willis had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act to keep him …


Feb 6 2008 - it was more than texting.

A Mental patient with paranoid schizophrenia who escaped from a hospital and threatened to kill his ex-lover has avoided prison - but only as long as he stays away from the woman.

Mark Willis, 31, of Pirton Lane, Churchdown was warned by a judge that if he ever contacted Kerry Guerin again he would be jailed.


It comes to this: Willis suffers from paranoid schizophrenia which may be episodic. He makes threats so serious that he has had to be detained. During detention he escaped and repeated the threats for the purpose of terrorising a victim. Being in the community he has attempted to abduct a stranger. During that attempt a man was kicked in the head.

There is a great deal of evidence here that this man will continue to be a danger and that his behaviour is becoming more extreme.

JuliaM said...

"WTF does any of that have to do with the offences ?"

Beats me. Mitigation is getting increasingly more and more bizarre...

"There is a great deal of evidence here that this man will continue to be a danger and that his behaviour is becoming more extreme."

I've made a note of the name.

Anonymous said...

You guys were right: http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Churchdown-man-charged-connection-attempted/story-23774775-detail/story.html

Unknown said...

That secure mental health hospital is used for reprogramming Monarch mind control victims - they go there to be 're-booted' after being detained under the mental health act. He isn't schizophrenic at all - the Monarch installed in him 'short circuited'.