Man jailed for subjecting woman to hours of abuse after locking her in his flat

An "abusive and possessive" man has been sentenced to at least nine years in prison for sexual assault, making threats to kill, and assault.

Martin Marko, a 35-year-old from Seaforth in Liverpool, previously admitted to subjecting his victim to three hours of abuse after he imprisoned her in his flat on 15 August 2023.

Between 3am and 9am, Marko forced the woman to strip, before he sexually assaulted her while brandishing a kitchen knife and beating her with a shoe. While she was trapped in the flat, he choked her, punched her, and threw a bowl of urine at her.

The attack was caught on CCTV, in which the woman could be seen begging for her life. On two occasions she attempted to escape by climbing out of the first-storey window, only for Marko to stop her and continue his abuse.

It was not until after 9am that the woman was finally able to make her escape after telling Marko she was expected elsewhere.

Shortly after leaving, she called the police and reported Marko.

Over the next two days, he would go on to send 43 texts to the woman both apologising for his actions and threatening her to take back her report.

When Marko was interviewed by police, he claimed the woman was to blame for the attack, and urged officers to check the CCTV footage - in which his horrific crimes could clearly be seen.

After police recovered the footage, he was charged with sexual assault, assault causing actual bodily harm, and making threats to kill.

On 18 March 2024, he appeared at Liverpool Crown Court and pleaded guilty to all charges.

In a statement, the woman said: "The whole matter has affected me on so many levels. Since this happened I've not been able to leave my house. I feel so unsafe. I feel scared of what's going to happen to me."My confidence is completely gone and I feel low about myself. I've lost my trust in everyone.

"From being constantly at home I have begun to feel isolated from my friends. I haven't told anyone what's happened.

"This has caused me to feel alone in this matter. I'm terrified of him. Marko has no right to make me feel like this. No one has ever made me feel like this before and I feel I have to completely rebuild myself. I know one day I will be completely healed from this situation but it will take time."

Defending Marko, Louise McClusky told the court that he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the attack, and had suffered "a turbulent and difficult childhood".

She said: "Children who witness domestic abuse go on to suffer from mental health problems and struggle to form relationships.

"This defendant clearly proves that particular point. The abusive childhood this defendant had resulted in some mental health decline in 2018, when the defendant began to use illicit substances as a way of coping."

Judge David Aubrey said: "Your victim was petrified and in fear to the extent she even contemplated escaping from your violence, from your threats, through a window of the flat, which I'm told was a first floor flat."In my judgement, you an abusive and possessive person. You are demanding. You were treating your victim as a chattel, as an object. You were abusive to her. You degraded her.

"You have a number of issues, but important in respect of these issues is how you treat women, and how you treated this particular victim.

"On this particular evening, over a protracted period of time, you were demeaning her, you were controlling her, you used violence. You had a knife in your hand on a number of occasions. You were brandishing that knife towards her face. You were threatening her with it. You were being abusive. You were gesturing towards her in a stabbing motion. On one occasion, you threatened to kill her."He added: "In the aftermath you sent to her numerous texts, no less than 43, some of which were of a menacing nature, some of which may have been conciliatory. But your intention was to ensure that she didn't speak to the police.

"Fortunately, while you may be a coward, your victim is a courageous woman. She did make a statement to police. She didn't retract that statement, none withstanding the pressure she was under from you."He sentenced Marko, of Seaforth Road, Seaforth, to a 12-year extended sentence, ordering him to serve nine years in custody and an extended three years on licence. He also made a restraining order banning him from contacting the woman.

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