Suspended sentence for soldier who threatened wife with hammer
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AN ex-soldier who assaulted his wife and threatened her with a hammer has been given a chance by the senior judge for Northamptonshire.
Martin Cowie received a 38th birthday present yesterday when he was handed a suspended prison sentence for a violent assault on his wife.
Northampton Crown Court heard he attacked her on November 8 last year when she told him she wanted a divorce.
Alex Bull, prosecuting, said Cowie punched her in the face twice, causing bruising to her cheek, a black eye and a cut lip, and continued with the assault even when she had been knocked to the ground.
At one stage, it was alleged the former Royal Fusilier also threatened to hit her with a hammer.
Cowie, of Cowley Close, Wootton, pleaded guilty earlier this month to inflicting actual bodily harm. Having spent 78 days in custody remanded while waiting for the case to come to court, he appeared for sentence yesterday before Judge Rupert Mayo.
Passing sentence, Judge Mayo told a weeping Cowie he needed help rather than punishment.
The judge said: “You are a mess. It’s not your fault you’re a mess and like a lot of old soldiers, you have tried to deal with your problems yourself.
“I think you have now accepted you need help from professional people and for that reason, I am not going to send you to prison today.
“I am going to mark what you did with a suspended sentence. I make it plain, part of the reason for that suspended sentence is because you have spent 78 days on remand. Any breach of this sentence and those days will not count. This was a nasty incident.”
Cowie was sentenced to nine-months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, along with 24 months’ of probation supervision and a requirement he must attend an alcohol-specified activity course to address his problems with drinking.
Steven Evans, mitigating, said Cowie had turned to alcohol to address the issues he was left with following his years of military service.
He added: “He accepts full responsibility for any of the injuries caused.”
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Thursday 23 February 2012
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