Monkwearmouth man strangled woman when she rejected his advances and tried to leave his flat

A Monkwearmouth man knocked a woman to the ground and strangled her on a night out after she rejected his advances and wanted to leave his home.

The pair had met together and went back to his flat in April this year, but she decided she did not want any sexual advances from him and decided to leave. Mackie, who was drunk, had other ideas.

As she left the building, he punched her down onto the floor and strangled her, putting his hands around her neck.

She was thankfully able to escape, rushing to a nearby pub and flagging a car. She was left with swelling to her cheeks, bruising to her triceps and grazes to her hands.

In a victim impact statement, she said: “I felt uncomfortable and tried to escape. Nobody has the right to make me feel uncomfortable.

“I’m really scared when I think about what happened but I’m thankful it was no worse. I fear for the safety of other women around this male.”

Mackie, 34, who lives on Gladstone Street, has 17 previous convictions, including seven for harassment, four for battery and one for common assault. He pleaded guilty to intentional strangulation and common assault and was jailed for 15 months by Judge Gavin Doig, who also imposed a five-year restraining order.

Working as a Welder, his employer in Jarrow has promised he will give him his job back after he finishes his sentence.