A man who assaulted and injured his wife following a row, causing her to fear he may kill her, has been given another prison sentence.
Carlisle Crown Court heard today that 45-year-old James Wilson and the woman had been in a 10-year relationship which was described as toxic.
On December 17 2022, there was an argument between the couple at a city address which related to a former partner.
Both parties drank throughout the day and became drunk, with Wilson becoming more and more aggressive.
At 4.30pm, Wilson went to the shop and returned with flowers for his wife by way of apology for the earlier row. The woman replied: “I don’t want your poxy flowers.”
Prosecutor Martyn Walsh said: “He struck her with the flowers. In the middle of the flowers was a wooden stake which hit her in the forehead and eye.”
When told he was a wife-beater, Wilson continued his violence, striking her in the jaw, grabbing her hair and smashing her face into the floor.
“She describes being concerned he was going to try to kill her,” said Mr Walsh.
As the woman told him “I can’t see”, Wilson repeatedly punched her to the torso and leg areas. The woman believed she lost consciousness during the assault.
Police responded after the woman shared photos of her injuries with her mum.
These included a black eye, a cut to the forehead and bruising. In an impact statement she described losing confidence following the attack and of her mental health being affected by the relationship.
Wilson, of no fixed address, admitted actual bodily harm assault. A defence barrister told the court Wilson had spent time in custody and was aiming to mend his ways upon release.
However, the court also heard Wilson had previous convictions for violence in past relationships, and in 2019 he was given a 63-month jail term for stabbing a man on a Carlisle street.
For the latest assault, Wilson was jailed for 27 months by Judge Nicholas Barker, who said of the woman: “There is no doubt this was a prolonged and persistent assault upon her in her own home in the context of a domestic relationship.”
