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A DRUNK 25 stone yob who attacked his five-foot girlfriend by crushing her with a "belly flop" is jailed.

Sean Mellin, 40, left Charlotte Marsden, 32, fearing for her life after he pinned her to the floor.

The former courier strangled, punched and kicked her during a "night of bullying and brutalising" in a hotel room.

Mellin, who was described as a "demon with a big belly", viciously attacked partner Charlotte while they were staying at a Travelodge in Bolton, Greater Manchester.

The attack occurred in August last year after Mellin booked a five-night getaway so he could go on a drink and drugs binge.

Charlotte managed to escape in only a towel when Mellin fell asleep, the court heard.

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She suffered horrific bruises to her back, throat, legs, back of ears and face.

In a statement to police victim Charlotte said: ''He’s big and broad, and he’s got a big belly.

"He knows he is stronger than me and knew that I was frightened of him.

“I couldn’t breathe when he was on top of me. I had a vision of myself lying dead on the bed in only my pink hoodie.

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"He was like a monster, like a demon. He was not all there behind his eyes.''

She added: “Him strangling me was awful, he squeezed and pushed his fingers into my nose.

"This meant I couldn’t breathe. I could only plead with my eyes for him to stop.

"I thought I was going to die. He only calmed down when I started to sweet talk him.

"When I was on the toilet being sick, he said you’re faking it, you f*****g false b***h.

"When I eventually left I was hysterical, I was a wreck. He was somebody else that night.

"I had to stay at other people’s houses because I thought he was going to kill me when he got out.

"I have not missed him since he’s been gone.”

The pair met during lockdown in 2020 with the relationship quickly becoming toxic.

Charlotte said she soon felt "trapped with him" as Covid restrictions tightened.

Mark Pritchard, prosecuting, said: “Things were initially going well, but an argument broke out between them and that is where things started to go wrong.

“The defendant grabbed the complainant by her throat with both hands and held her so long that she vomited.

"When she ran to the toilet to be sick, the defendant accused her of faking it.

''He then grabbed her by the hair and kicked her in the face. He also smashed her head against the walls around the room on a number of occasions.

"He then held her down on the floor with his bodyweight, suffocating her."

He added: “The complainant left the room once the defendant fell asleep.

"She was dressed in only a towel as she called the police.

"She sustained bruises to her back, throat, legs, back of ears and face.

"The defendant was later arrested and denied the offences in interview.”

SHOWED NO REMORSE

In sentencing, Judge Mr Recorder Imran Shafi KC said Mellin showed no remorse or concern for his partner following the assault.

He said: “This relationship was punctuated with violence and this all came to a head on the 22nd of August last year.

''You showed neither remorse nor concern for your then partner, even accusing her of faking being sick after you strangled her.

“Your behaviour on that day was beyond disgraceful, you belittled, bullied and brutalised your partner.

"You enjoyed humiliating and hurting her, you were obviously stronger than her, and you made sure she knew it.

"She genuinely believed that she was going to die that night by your hand. All of this and you showed not a slither of remorse.”

However Mellin’s lawyer, Clare Ashcroft, said he was remorseful for his actions.

She added: “He does not agree with some of what Ms Marsden said in her statement although he accepts that his behaviour was inexcusable and he is remorseful for it.

“This relationship completely volatile, it was plainly a toxic relationship.

"The offence took place during a period where the couple were staying in a hotel room.

"Both parties had been drinking and had left the room to take drugs at several points throughout the evening.

"This added fuel to the volatility already in the relationship.”

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At Minshull Street Crown Court Mellin was jailed for three years after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm and strangulation.

He was also banned from contacting Charlotte and her sister indefinitely.

How you can get help

Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:

• Always keep your phone nearby.
• Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
• If you are in danger, call 999.
• Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
• Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
• If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
• Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.

If you are a ­victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support ­service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].

Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.

You can also call the freephone 24-hour ­National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.

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