Alderney man jailed for assaulting wife

Friday 24 May 2019

An Alderney resident who broke his wife's ribs and threw a bin at her among other charges has been jailed for 15 months.

Anthony Jackson, 43, was charged with five counts of assault when he appeared before Guernsey's Magistrates Court on Thursday.

Two additional charges were withdrawn due to lack of evidence against Jackson. Judge Russell Finch, who presided over the case considered a previous conviction for an assault against a separate woman in 1996 relevant when sentencing. 

The defendant met his wife through an online dating site in 2015 - she then moved to Alderney in 2016 before the pair wed in March last year. Problems began to arise in the marriage in July.

By December the court heard that during one escalated argument the defendant had run at his wife and kicked her in the back causing her to crack "at least one" of her ribs. On 2 December the man kicked his wife "several times" over another argument, the next day he spat in her face. 

On another occasion a few weeks later the defendant pushed the woman down onto their bed "terrifying her" and punched the bed around her face before throwing a bin at her. An argument about money led the man to shout "shut up about the f****ing money" into the woman's face before spitting at her again. 

"When all is said and done, this is a serious case," said Judge Finch. 

"Kicking is the equivalent of using a weapon. You should not have the opportunity to kick women for some time to come," he said. 

The man was sentenced to 15 months in prison in total effective immediately.