A serial woman beater who was jailed for brutal attacks on two separate women had his "unduly lenient" prison sentence increased by an appeal court.
Mark Rooney, 35, made the lives of both women a misery until he was arrested, after knocking the second woman out cold and leaving her with a broken arm. He was jailed for 42 weeks at Liverpool Crown Court in October, but the sentence was referred to the Court of Appeal under the "unduly lenient" scheme.
During his original sentencing hearing, the court was told Rooney formed a "volatile" relationship with the first complainant in November 2020. Fiona McNeill, prosecuting said the couple went on holiday together during September 2021, but Rooney assaulted her and "behaved in a threatening manner" while they were away.
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After their return Rooney, of Lees Avenue in Rock Ferry, was dumped by the woman but forced his way into her Tranmere home while she was in the shower, on October 2, 2021. Rooney, who was armed with a baseball bat, began "shouting and making threats". Her friend intervened and drove her away to her workplace, but Rooney followed them and continued his threatening behaviour - saying he would drive into the window of the shop.
Over the following days, she began receiving messages from him telling her he would post private sexual images of her online. He called her a "grass", adding that a "picture of your dirty, horrible f***y is going everywhere".
She reported his actions to the police on October 11, telling officers she had been subjected to a number of assaults by Rooney - who was "controlling throughout" their relationship. On December 16, the railways worker then sent an intimate sexual picture of her to a friend.
In a statement which was read out to the court on her behalf, she described being left "feeling hurt mentally and physically" and "in constant fear". But since leaving Rooney, she "feels much stronger and able to move forward".
Rooney pleaded guilty to charges relating to this abuse and was released on bail awaiting sentence. Then, in August this year, he and a new partner went to stay at a campsite.
Ms McNeill told the court Rooney and the new victim had been in a relationship in the past, but had rekindled their romance. The court heard one day, while he was still on bail, an argument erupted during a night out after Rooney became angry over phone numbers she had saved in her contacts.
He threw a can of beer at his new partner, then told her "you're lucky it was just a can, if I had it my way I would burn your face with the barbeque". After this, she went and sat in the car and spoke to her mum in a call while he was at the bar.
Rooney then returned, took her phone from her, hung up and called her a "grass". He hit her in the face with the phone when she tried to take it back, knocking her unconscious.
When she came to, he was tending to her wounds - including a split lip - and saying "he couldn't go to jail and not to do this to him". Rooney then took her to hospital but told her to state that she had suffered her injuries after falling over.
It was later found that she had broken her arm when falling, but he "wouldn't leave her alone with nursing staff". The next day, he sent a string of threatening message and voice notes to his partner via WhatsApp.
She reported in a statement read out to the court on her behalf that she "felt disappointed in herself for allowing him back into her life".
Network Rail engineer Rooney, who was described as suffering with mental health issues and having "significant cocaine issues", admitted two counts of harassment, threatening to disclose private sexual photographs, disclosing private sexual photographs and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
According to the Attorney General's office, the Court of Appeal ruled that the sentence was indeed too short and quashed it. The judges re-sentenced Rooney to 74 weeks in prison.
Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General Michael Tomlinson MP said: "Mark Rooney displayed shameful behaviour and put both of the victims through a terrifying ordeal. I hope the decision to imprison him for longer sends the message that such vile abusive actions will never be tolerated."
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