CCTV footage captured a violent assault in which a man repeatedly punched, kicked and spat at his partner, leaving her stunned when magistrates later decided not to impose a jail sentence. The clips recorded Spencer Dean's repeated attacks on his partner, referred to as Marie to protect her identity, during months of abuse at a property in Ashford, Kent.
Details of the Abuse
One video showed Dean punching Marie so hard she fell backwards onto a sofa before he struck her again. Other clips depicted him throwing objects, forcing her onto a bed, and telling her he 'hopes she dies.' Marie stated that the cameras, originally installed for reasons related to her children, ultimately saved her.
Officers uncovered the abuse after attending the property and finding cannabis plants Dean had been growing in the loft, leading them to review the disturbing footage recorded inside the home. The abuse came to light after Marie secretly texted a neighbour asking them to call police because she had reached the 'end of her tether.'
Court Proceedings
Despite admitting multiple assaults, criminal damage offences, and cannabis cultivation, with CCTV footage capturing months of violent abuse against Marie, Dean avoided a jail sentence. Magistrates accepted probation recommendations and imposed a community order instead. Marie was left stunned, saying she was 'shocked' he had not been sent to prison given the repeated attacks and their impact on her and her children.
Dean, a roofer of no fixed address, admitted three counts of assault by beating, two counts of criminal damage, and one count of cultivating cannabis. The clips showed the 34-year-old launching repeated attacks on the mother of two. Officers arrived at the house on March 29 and found her with a cut and bruising beneath her eye before reviewing months of footage.
In one incident, he was seen grabbing her by the hair and dragging her around a room. Other footage showed him spitting at her, shouting abuse, and throwing objects. Marie said: 'The CCTV was put in before the relationship started for reasons relating to my children, but they were what saved me in the end.'
Victim's Account
The relationship began well before Dean's jealousy spiralled into controlling behaviour. 'The control started slowly, with me being removed off all social media,' she said. 'If I wanted to see family, I would be made to feel guilty. He caused arguments between friends until the only time I socialised was when I went to do some cleaning or the school run.'
Marie became too frightened to ask Dean to leave when her children were at home because violence would often follow. 'Sometimes he would just abuse me verbally, but if I ever asked him to leave, that's when I would get hurt, so I learned to never tell him to leave when my kids were here,' she said. 'Emotionally, I'm broken, I'm confused, I hate myself - and I hate what my kids are going through because of all of this.'
Marie says Dean used his small cannabis operation in the loft to stop her reporting his abuse to police. 'I was told if they found the grow I would lose my kids, because it's my house, so I had to shut up and put up,' she said. But when officers discovered the cannabis plants during the March visit, she realised she could no longer stay silent. 'I knew in that moment I had to show them, for help,' she said. 'I didn't want to get him in trouble, but I was so scared of what was going to happen next time.'
Sentencing
Dean admitted the offences in court last month and appeared for sentencing via videolink from HMP Elmley on May 12. Prosecutor Dylan Bradshaw told magistrates the case was unusual because the abuse had been uncovered through cameras installed for safeguarding purposes. He added that the victim 'never called the police when something was going on', but had reached out to a neighbour on March 29.
Margate Magistrates' Court heard Dean had damaged fixtures inside the house during angry outbursts and carried out assaults over months, sometimes while children were nearby. 'On October 10, [last year] in the kitchen, he spat on her and kicked her,' Mr Bradshaw said. Further clips on October 23 and October 27 showed Dean kicking Marie, shouting at her, and behaving aggressively.
The prosecutor said: 'I am asking for a restraining order as she was in her property and should have been safe, and her children were in the vicinity when some of the incidents happened.' Ian Bond, defending, said the relationship had become 'toxic' and highlighted Dean's remorse and lack of domestic violence history, with only one unrelated previous conviction from 2019. He added that Dean had already spent 42 days in custody, equivalent to a 12-week prison sentence.
Magistrates, who were not shown clips of the abuse, followed probation advice and spared Dean jail. He was placed on a 12-month community order requiring 180 hours of unpaid work, 30 rehabilitation sessions, and a six-month drug rehabilitation programme. He was also banned from contacting Marie or going near her Ashford home for two years.
Victim's Message
Now recovering, Marie wants other victims to know they can escape. 'If you are going through this, no matter what they say or hold against you, you can get out,' she said. 'Everything was always 'my fault', and I want other victims to know it's never your fault. Seek help, get as much evidence as you can, but please do it safely and have someone who knows what's going on.'
