Marc Masterton jailed for second offence of coercive behaviour

Marc Masterton was jailed for three years and seven months at Portsmouth Crown Court

A man has been jailed for coercively controlling his former girlfriend during two years of "horrific" abuse.

Marc Masterton, 26, pleaded guilty to committing the offence against 24-year-old Zoe Castle while they were in a relationship in Southsea, Hampshire.

He was previously jailed for subjecting Chloe Holland to the same crime. Ms Holland's mother said she later took her own life after a year of torment.

Earlier, Masterton was jailed for a further three years and seven months.

In her victim impact statement read at Portsmouth Crown Court, Ms Castle said she had lived in "constant fear" of Masterton, who was already in prison following his previous offence.

Ms Castle and Masterton began a relationship in 2017, when she had just turned 18 and moved in together.

The court heard acts of violence included the victim being hit over the head with a glass bottle, cut on the finger with a knife, thrown into a wardrobe, and an incident where Masterton picked her up and placed her in a freezing cold ice bath.

Zoe Castle began a relationship with Masterton when she was 18

In the victim impact statement read out by the prosecution, Ms Castle said the abuse was the "very worst time of my life" and that she had since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I have lived in either constant fear of being beaten, or losing the most precious thing in my life, my daughter," he statement said.

"That's what Marc did to me - he made me know I had no choice but to stay and accept his constant abuse."

The court was told she still had trouble sleeping and struggled to trust anyone in a relationship.

"If one man could do the horrific things he did to me, who is to say another one won't," the statement added.

Their relationship ended in 2019 when Masterton was sent to prison for an unrelated offence.

Passing sentence, Judge Michael Bowes KC said Masterton's behaviour had had a "devastating effect" on Ms Castle and praised her for her "bravery in coming forward".

He ordered the latest sentence be served consecutively to the sentence for the offences against Ms Holland and issued a restraining order.

Chloe Holland suffered what police described as a "horrific campaign of coercive and controlling behaviour"

Police staff investigator Nikki Brogan said Masterton's treatment of women has been "utterly horrifying".

"He has a history of subjecting his partners to some of the most heartbreaking and appalling campaigns of domestic violence involving physical assaults, control, and psychological abuse," she said.

Masterton was jailed in October after admitting coercive and controlling behaviour against Ms Holland. He was sentenced to 41 months, with an extra four months for aggravated vehicle-taking.

Ms Holland died in hospital in March 2023 after trying to take her own life, her mother told the BBC earlier this year.

Before her death, she had reported Masterton for domestic abuse and given a two-hour video submission to police that led to the 26 year old's conviction.

Her mother, Sharon Holland, subsequently began campaigning for coercive control offenders to face legal consequences in line with the suffering they have caused.

If you have been affected by issues raised in this report, details of organisations offering information and support about suicide and emotional distress are available via BBC Action Line.