A “SADISTIC” thug who attacked a string of women while drunk has had his jail term almost doubled.

Matthew Edward Kilmartin, of Crombie Avenue, York, was jailed in August last year after punching, biting and imprisoning a woman in a flat during a two hour ordeal.

Kilmartin, who was on licence from a six-year jail term at the time, also has a number of previous convictions for attacking women, in some cases subjecting them to “sadistic biting”.

 

York Press:

His latest victim was left badly beaten and bruised, and suffered internal bleeding from damage to her kidneys but Kilmartin, 38, was only jailed for three years by Judge Andrew Stubbs QC at York Crown Court in March, and given a three-year extended licence period.

Judge Stubbs QC said when sentencing Kilmartin: “You are unable to realise and accept that the behaviour which has been proved against you in a number of trials is behaviour that you carried out.

“You have shown no remorse for the charge of actual bodily harm you pleaded guilty to.”

However, Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC criticised the sentence, calling it too lenient, and referred it to top judges to review.

Lord Justice Davis, sitting at London’s Criminal Appeal Court, agreed with the Attorney General yesterday, and increased Kilmartin’s jail term to five and a half years.

The judge, sitting with Mr Justice Stuart-Smith and Judge Clement Goldstone QC, said Kilmartin had convictions for assaulting other women in 2006 and 2008.

He also had a rape conviction on his record and was on early release from prison when he carried out the latest attack.

Kilmartin’s lawyers pleaded for his sentence not to be increased, and said he was “capable of working hard and behaving himself when he’s not in drink”, but Lord Justice Davis ruled that his original jail term had to be increased.

The judge said Kilmartin’s violence arose whenever he had been drinking, and said the latest attack was “a shocking case”.

He said it was “particularly troubling” that Kilmartin committed his latest assault while on licence despite his previous record for violence towards women.

He said: “It may be that he wouldn’t behave in this way if he didn’t get drunk. The problem is that he does get drunk and behaves in this way.

“The effect on the victim was profound. She thought she might be killed. She was subjected to this terrible attack, involving punching and biting, and was detained in the flat for two hours. The sentence imposed was unduly lenient and must be increased. It simply did not reflect the seriousness of the offending.”

Kilmartin’s sentence is now five and a half years, plus three years extended licence.