Man attempted to strangle wife in row
A man has been given a suspended jail sentence and banned from the family home after trying to strangle his wife in bed on Bank Holiday Monday.
Nigel Leach, 53, admitted two charges of assault following the incident during the early hours of Monday.
Flintshire Magistrates Court was told that when the victim’s two adult sons came to her rescue, Leach left but returned with a kitchen knife. Magistrates heard that he lunged at her and during a subsequent struggle ended up assaulting one of his sons.
Leach, of Cilcoed, in Chirk, was said to have become paranoid and wrongly believed his wife was having an affair. The attack had come out of the blue, the court heard.
Prosecutor Nia Lloyd said the alarm was raised shortly after 1am on Monday when his wife said Leach had tried to strangle her and that he had a knife. Police attended and she told officers how they went to bed as usual but he grabbed her around the throat, tightened his grip and she struggled to breathe.
She bit his finger to get him to let go and screamed for help – and her two adult sons came to her aid. They managed to drag him off her and Leach left the bedroom but returned with a kitchen knife and lunged at her.
There was a struggle as her sons protected her and she raised the alarm. She ended up with cuts to the hand and bruising to the throat.
During the incident one of their sons sustained cuts to his hands.
A probation report said that Leach had four drinks on the night which may have contributed to his paranoid thoughts. Bethan Jones, defending, said that he accepted entirely how terrified his wife and family must have been.
“He is extremely distressed and remorseful,” she said.
Leach received a 26-week prison sentence, suspended for two years.
He was placed on rehabilitation, ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work, and pay £85 costs and a £115 surcharge.
Leach was also banned from the family home for the next two years.
A restraining order prevents him going back to the house and he must not approach his wife or son.
District Judge Gwyn Jones said that applications could be made to lift the order before the two years are up.
The court was told that in the meantime the defendant could live with his mother and brother in Bangor-on-Dee.
