PRESS RELEASE : Offender Mark Rooney receives increased prison sentence for abusing two victims [December 2022]

The press release issued by the Attorney General’s Office on 20 December 2022.

An offender who abused two victims has been ordered to spend longer in prison after his sentence was determined to be unduly lenient.

Mark Rooney, 35, committed numerous offences against the first victim including assaulting them while on holiday, forcing himself into their home while armed with a baseball bat and threatening to share private images of her.

The victim also had to go to hospital after sustaining an injury to her lower back and substantial bruising to other body parts which were inflicted by the offender.

Whilst on bail for these offences, Rooney threw a can of beer at a different victim before threatening to burn her face with a BBQ. When this victim tried to retrieve their mobile phone from Rooney, he hit her in the face with it, causing her to lose consciousness.

On 17 October 2022, at Liverpool Crown Court, Rooney was sentenced to 42 weeks’ imprisonment for offences including putting a person in fear of violence by harassment and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

His sentence was then referred to the Court of Appeal as Unduly Lenient.

On 20 December 2022 the Court quashed Rooney’s original sentence and handed down a new sentence of 74 weeks’ imprisonment.

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.