A “MONSTER” who viciously attacked his former partner before an 11-hour stand off with armed police has been jailed.

Alan Gwynne, 57, of Sherwood Way, Southend, had been on a two-day drug and alcohol binge with the victim.

Echo:

Stand-off - Alan Gwynne, 57, of Sherwood Way, Southend, had been on a two-day drug and alcohol binge

When the victim decided to go to a different flat to use drugs, Basildon Crown Court heard Gwynne lured her to his house before launching the violent assault.

The court heard she had returned with friends but Gwynne managed to separate her before dragging her into his home and locking the door.

Judge Andrew Hurst, sentencing, said: “Meating out violence with a blunt instrument, you grabbed her by the hair and hit her in the face repeatedly.

“You were heard to be shouting that you would kill her.

“”She has said she thought you were going to kill her and described you as a monster and evil.”

She managed to escape when he went to the toilet to smoke crack cocaine and officers, who had been called to the scene by neighbours about the potential hostage situation, said she fled the property and was covered in blood.

The street was flooded with armed officers and ambulances but Gwynne refused to give himself up.

The court heard he told officers if they attempted to force entry, he would take one of them with him before killing himself. There were fears he could be armed.

Judge Hurst added: “You held yourself up in that flat until 6am the following morning and police had to force entry. You were aggressive to them and had to be Tasered.”

Gwynne admitted one count of actual bodily harm, one count of affray, one count of possession of a class A drug and one count of possession of a class B drug. Judge Hurst handed him a total of four years and three months in prison. He was also made the subject of an indefinite restraining order which prohibits him from contacting the victim following the incident on January 27.