Neighbour spotted a man (44) assaulting his wife in Magheralin street, Craigavon court hears

Rijo Thomas, aged 44, from McDonald’s Terrace, Magheralin appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court via video link from Maghaberry Prison charged with assaulting his wife.

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The defendant was aided with the help of a Malayalam interpreter.

A Prosecutor said that on Sunday November 3 this year at 8.19am police received a report from a member of the public that there was an assault in the Brackenridge area of Magheralin.

The reporting party told police that at around 8.05am he was sitting in his front room when he heard shouting and arguing outside his property. He looked out the window and saw a man and woman arguing with each other outside his front garden and "observed the male punch the female on the neck with his right hand”.

When police spoke to the woman she claimed her husband, the defendant, found another man’s mobile number in her phone and had confronted her about it. "They argued for a period of time before she left the property. She explained her husband followed her in an attempt to convince her to return to the property. She then alleged that her husband grabbed her by the neck before they returned home,” said the Prosecutor.

During interview the defendant made a partial admission that he put his hand on his wife’s shoulder but denied punching or grabbing her neck.

Thomas’ solicitor Mr Kevin McCamley said his client had made an admission of common assault during interview and he had made presentations to police for a caution but this was rejected.

He explained his client was in custody as he had no other address to go to, adding Thomas has no domestic violence record.

Mr McCamley said: “My client would say that he put his hand onto the injured party’s shoulder and onto the back of her neck to usher her back into the house as he didn’t want neighbours hearing what they were arguing over because it was over another male.”

District Judge Michael Ranaghan said: “Whilst the court is concerned about any type of domestic violence this has to be viewed as toward the lower end of any such allegation.”

He fined the defendant £350 plus the £15 Offender Levy.