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My friends daughter was once attacked.
Luckily much like this lady she'd been taught martial arts from a young age and his wife had discussed with her what/how to react if a horror such as this should ever happen to her...she got away with no permanent or immediate physical damage, (did a good bit to him) just long lasting mental ones ....the 'man' was later convicted and got just 2 years (apparently you get a big discount if your plead guilty), at the time all we wanted to do was find him and put him 6 feet under to make sure he could never do it again, mainly because I felt the sentence was ridiculously light for someone who never contested it and pleaded guilty...
Is 4.5 years really a proper deterrent here? Isn't he exactly the type to have committed this act before and will try again when out (he'll probably do around 3 years of his sentence...
Sex attacker jailed after being put in headlock by the kickboxer he targeted
Mark Willis, 40, is handed four-and-a-half years' behind bars after being pinned by the woman he tried to to assault
The attempted assualt by Mark Willis took place in Cheltenham Photo: PA/ALAMY
By Agency
8:59AM BST 08 Sep 2015
A sex attacker who picked on the wrong woman has been jailed after discovering she was a kickboxer - and coming off worse, police said.
Mark Willis, 40, pounced on the 25-year-old woman, punching her in the face several times during the assault in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
Willis tried removing the victim's clothes but she fought back, grabbing his arm and pinning him in a headlock between her legs.
She held him there until he "went limp" and was then able to escape and raise the alarm.
The defendant, of Churchdown, Gloucester, was convicted after a trial of a single charge of sexual assault carried out just after 2am on August 31 last year.
Mark Willis, 40, is handed four-and-a-half years' behind bars after being pinned by the woman he tried to to assault Mark Willis was 'pinned' by his intended victim Photo: PA
Willis, who has previous similar conviction, had earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of causing actual bodily harm.
Today at Bristol Crown Court he was sentenced to four-and-a-half years' imprisonment, with an additional four years on licence by Judge William Hart. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders' register.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "I'm extremely pleased that this traumatic ordeal is finally over and that I can move forward with life.
"I wish to thank the police and the officer in the case for their hard work in identifying and apprehending the offender and the support I've received.
"I hope the case will encourage others to come forward and speak to police if they are the victim of a sexual assault."
• How to fight off a sex attacker, by woman who fought back
Detective Constable Faye Satchwell-Bennett, who led the investigation, said: "The victim has continued to demonstrate huge courage and bravery throughout this investigation.
"The judge rightly commended her and described her as being of 'great spirit and courage'.
"We are pleased with the lengthy custodial sentence passed upon Mr Willis, who clearly poses significant risk to the public, also having a previous conviction for a similar kidnapping offence against a female.
"There's little doubt in anybody's mind that without her martial arts skills the attack could have been far worse."
Luckily much like this lady she'd been taught martial arts from a young age and his wife had discussed with her what/how to react if a horror such as this should ever happen to her...she got away with no permanent or immediate physical damage, (did a good bit to him) just long lasting mental ones ....the 'man' was later convicted and got just 2 years (apparently you get a big discount if your plead guilty), at the time all we wanted to do was find him and put him 6 feet under to make sure he could never do it again, mainly because I felt the sentence was ridiculously light for someone who never contested it and pleaded guilty...
Is 4.5 years really a proper deterrent here? Isn't he exactly the type to have committed this act before and will try again when out (he'll probably do around 3 years of his sentence...
Sex attacker jailed after being put in headlock by the kickboxer he targeted
Mark Willis, 40, is handed four-and-a-half years' behind bars after being pinned by the woman he tried to to assault
The attempted assualt by Mark Willis took place in Cheltenham Photo: PA/ALAMY
By Agency
8:59AM BST 08 Sep 2015
A sex attacker who picked on the wrong woman has been jailed after discovering she was a kickboxer - and coming off worse, police said.
Mark Willis, 40, pounced on the 25-year-old woman, punching her in the face several times during the assault in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
Willis tried removing the victim's clothes but she fought back, grabbing his arm and pinning him in a headlock between her legs.
She held him there until he "went limp" and was then able to escape and raise the alarm.
The defendant, of Churchdown, Gloucester, was convicted after a trial of a single charge of sexual assault carried out just after 2am on August 31 last year.
Mark Willis, 40, is handed four-and-a-half years' behind bars after being pinned by the woman he tried to to assault Mark Willis was 'pinned' by his intended victim Photo: PA
Willis, who has previous similar conviction, had earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of causing actual bodily harm.
Today at Bristol Crown Court he was sentenced to four-and-a-half years' imprisonment, with an additional four years on licence by Judge William Hart. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders' register.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "I'm extremely pleased that this traumatic ordeal is finally over and that I can move forward with life.
"I wish to thank the police and the officer in the case for their hard work in identifying and apprehending the offender and the support I've received.
"I hope the case will encourage others to come forward and speak to police if they are the victim of a sexual assault."
• How to fight off a sex attacker, by woman who fought back
Detective Constable Faye Satchwell-Bennett, who led the investigation, said: "The victim has continued to demonstrate huge courage and bravery throughout this investigation.
"The judge rightly commended her and described her as being of 'great spirit and courage'.
"We are pleased with the lengthy custodial sentence passed upon Mr Willis, who clearly poses significant risk to the public, also having a previous conviction for a similar kidnapping offence against a female.
"There's little doubt in anybody's mind that without her martial arts skills the attack could have been far worse."
