An abusive woman has been jailed after making her loving husband's life a “misery” through a “grotesque” campaign of violence and attacks.
Helen Thornton, 45, hit him repeatedly with a rolling pin and on one occasion went so far as to stab him with the sharp metal tip of an electric toothbrush, causing at least one stab wound.
Her husband, who had done everything he could to 'love and support her', finally mustered the courage to report her after years of torturous regime of violence and coercive behavior.
Hull Crown Court heard the man was assaulted and attacked 'almost night after night'.
And it didn't stop at just the physical attacks. Thornton, from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, tried to control and intimidate him in an attempt to 'create fear' that violence could be used against him.
The cruel woman even threatened to make false and damaging accusations against him, leaving him feeling like he had no choice but to record conversations in an attempt to protect himself.
But beyond the case itself, the most heartbreaking thing was what the husband, who has been married to Thornton for 19 years, said to a Grimsby Live reporter after the hearing.
Although he did not want to comment in detail, his few words were powerful enough.
Helen Thornton, 45, from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, has been jailed after punching and assaulting her husband in what the court heard was a campaign of abuse against him
“I just don't want her to hurt anyone else,” he said outside court.
The man was subjected to assault and battery on an almost daily basis by Thornton, who had denied two offences: assault occasioning actual bodily harm and another offense of controlling and coercive behaviour.
She was remanded in custody before the trial after repeatedly breaching her bail conditions, and was convicted at a hearing at Grimsby Crown Court in November last year.
During a hearing at Hull Crown Court, Judge John Thackray KC told how Thornton, a former operator at BT, had shown controlling and coercive behavior by 'causing fear' in her husband that she might use violence against him.
This was said to have happened at least twice between 2016 and last year.
Last February, her husband suffered severe bruising after she repeatedly hit him with a rolling pin.
In 2018, the police were called about an assault, but the man decided not to pursue the matter further. During the incident, he was stabbed with the sharp end of an electric toothbrush.
The judge also warned that the fact that she was a woman did not make the matter any less serious and that the only appropriate punishment was a prison sentence.
He said: 'You have made his life a misery and it is not less serious because it was committed in a domestic environment, it is more serious because there has been a breach of trust.
'Your husband had the right to feel safe and secure in his home and in the company of his wife.
She even threatened to make false accusations against him that could have damaged his career.
Thornton was sentenced to two years in prison and a 10-year restraining order after her campaign of abuse, which saw her beat her husband with a rolling pin and stab him with the sharp, metal end of an electric toothbrush.
The judge continued: “On many occasions you caused injuries and made his life a misery.
'He was afraid you would make false accusations against him.
'You shouted and abused him. This is a very serious case of its kind.
'It's not any less serious because you're a woman.
'That doesn't matter at all.
'It is long-term persistent behavior and it has had a profound effect on your victim. It took him a long time to report you for this behavior.
“He eventually mustered the courage to report you and bravely testified against you.”
While her husband has initiated divorce proceedings, the couple of 19 years is still legally married.
Thornton was held at New Hall Prison, near Wakefield, and has now been sentenced to two years in prison and a 10-year restraining order.
John Dunning, mitigating, said she had been in custody for more than eight months and alcoholism clearly played a role in the abuse.
Speaking of the husband, Judge Thackray KC told how his 'love and support' towards Thornton was abused in the most 'grotesque' way.
'He was very much in love with you for a long time, but you abused that love night after night in a grotesque way. You abused and mistreated your husband, who did his best to love and support you in every way possible.
'The offenses are so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified. Appropriate punishment can only be achieved through an immediate custodial sentence.”
