DJ used wife as his ‘punch bag’
VIOLENT HUSBAND IS JAILED AFTER USING WOMAN AS HIS ‘PUNCH BAG’
A RADIO DJ has been jailed for a vicious two-year campaign of bullying and violence that left his battered and bruised wife ‘a prisoner in her own life.’
Marc Henry-Wallis, 44, beat his partner almost weekly, using her as ‘a punch bag for his demons’ the sentencing judge said.
One attack left her with two broken ribs.
His victim has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, is afraid to leave her home and now carries a panic alarm with her at all times.
The former Wish FM DJ, formerly of Davyhulme, Trafford, was jailed for four years after he admitted five counts of assault causing actual bodily harm at Manchester Crown Court.
Prosecutor Marie Brannan told the court the defendant, also known as Marc Henry, repeatedly assaulted his victim between October 2012 and October 2014, almost as soon as they were married.
Drink-fuelled Henry-Wallis would punch his wife in the head, back and arms, taking care not to strike her in the face, so he could continue his campaign of violence without her injuries being noticed, the court was told.
His victim would frequently crouch down during the beatings and once broke fingers trying to fend off one onslaught, said Miss Brannan.
His wife, who the M.E.N. has agreed not to name, only came to see herself as a victim of domestic violence a year after the relationship had ended and Henry-Wallis had left the marital home.
The woman, who has a child from a previous relationship, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder when she went to see her GP in March last year.
Miss Brannan said: “She continues to suffer the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder – with regular panic attacks, flashbacks, trembling and being left continually on edge and feeling something was about to happen, experiencing nightmares where she’s fighting the defendant off and being attacked in her home, and describing how she’s too scared to get out of bed and too frightened to leave the house.” In a victim impact statement read out in court, the woman said: “It’s broken my heart that the person who loved me turned out to abuse me.”
Brigid Baillie, defending, pointed out her client had no previous convictions and had admitted his guilt from the outset of the case.
Referring to 27 counselling sessions he had received, she added: “This is a man who recognises he has problems and has sought help for these. He’s deeply remorseful.”
Judge Rudland dismissed arguments that the defendant should see his prison sentence suspended and said the attack which left the victim with broken ribs should have attracted a more serious charge than assault causing actual bodily harm.
It’s broken my heart that the person who loved me turned out to abuse me The wife of Marc Henry-Wallis
He said: “This case is extremely serious. You have bullied and demeaned your wife through your constant and unremitting violence towards her and reduced her to a form of life that was hitherto unknown to her.
“From being outgoing and personable, holding down employment and enjoying herself as people do, to someone who is a prisoner in her own life. That’s a consequence of what you have done to her. You used her as a punch bag for all your demons, all your frustrations and all your anxieties. She’s the one who bore the brunt of that.”
Henry-Wallis showed no reaction when he was sentenced to four years behind bars.
His 18-year-old son, sitting in the public gallery, sobbed as his father was led away by dock officers.
The defendant, of Avon Road, Pershore, Worcestershire, was also made the subject of an indefinite restraining order and ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge.