Man said ‘let me watch the rest of Emmerdale’ to woman’s pleas for ambulance
Mark Nuttall, 46, was sentenced for attempted murder at Bolton Crown Court on Monday (September 8).
He had called an ambulance on February 26, 2025, and police arrived at around 1pm to find a woman “slumped on the sofa and covered in blood”.
She had initially told police she had been assaulted by an “unknown male”, before disclosing that it was Nuttall who had attacked her.
The victim told them he had “demanded sex from her” and after she refused, “the prolonged assault began”.
He had kept her at his property for more than four hours, stopping her from leaving.
Sara Haque, prosecuting, said the victim had “genuinely believed” Nuttall was “going to kill her”.
Ms Haque said: “Throughout the hours she had been kept in the house being assaulted, she was talking to herself in her head, telling her to be brave, thinking she was going to die.”
Nuttall had told her to close her eyes because he “had a surprise for her” and she said she then felt “something was put around her neck and pulled tight”.
He then attempted to stab her in the chest with a knife, but the blade was too dull, and he attempted to suffocate her by holding his hand over her mouth and nose.
Nuttall “hit her repeatedly with a rolling pin” before using a meat cleaver to slash at her face, causing injuries so severe she needed “extensive plastic surgery”.
The woman begged him for an ambulance, telling him “she was dying” – to which Nuttall replied “no, you’re not, you’re still breathing”.
At one point, he pretended to call an ambulance before telling her, “one minute, let me watch the rest of Emmerdale”.
Mark Nuttall (Image: GMP) Before calling an ambulance – after the woman swore not to say who had assaulted her – Nuttall had cleaned the bloody meat cleaver and put it back into the drawer hidden underneath other cutlery.
The victim said the incident has been “etched into her brain” and “left permanent scars”.
She said it has left her “paranoid and anxious all the time,” and she has been unable to return to work since the incident.
Michael Lavery, defending, said Nuttall “regrets bitterly how he acted that day” and said “he has real and genuine remorse”.
However, he added that Nuttall also said that due to his epilepsy, he doesn’t remember the day of the incident.
Judge Nicholas Clarke said he doesn’t accept this explanation, and said it was “incredible” that he wouldn’t remember anything over the “four and a half hour period”.
He said: “And the steps he gave the victim follow – and the steps to cover up the incident by cleaning the blade.”
The court heard that when the woman had arrived at Nuttall’s house, he was “sitting on the sofa with a blanket over him but completely naked under the blanket”.
Have a story? Get in touch at eoin.mccaul@newsquest.co.uk
Judge Clarke said: “You punched her in the face, slapped her, and pulled down her pants, and said just have sex with me, and I will let you go.
“She assumed she would be raped by you.
“You were still naked and no doubt presented a frightening sight.
“You hit her several times on the head with the meat cleaver, and she pleaded with you to call for an ambulance – she feared she might be dying.
“What you did was you sat down and said you wanted to watch Emmerdale while she pleaded with you to seek medical assistance.”
READ MORE: Dealer who advertised ‘fire sniff’ brought before court
READ MORE: ‘Controlling’ Bolton man attacked ex-partner and kept her ‘constantly trapped’
READ MORE: Killer who battered ‘local legend and devoted father figure’ to death faces justice
Nuttall, of Farnworth, was given an extended sentence for a total of 25 years – with a custodial sentence of 21 years and a further four years on licence.
Detective Constable Jon Liversage, of Bolton CID, said: “The savagery of this assault cannot be understated – the bravery that the victim has shown throughout the investigation is inspiring, and I want to thank her for assisting me throughout the investigation.
“I hope this sentence can now give her and her family some closure.”
Source – INDIA TV
