Husband caught beating wife after she set up cameras around their Leeds home
Cameras set up around a family home by a wife trying to catch her husband cheating, filmed him repeatedly beating her.
He even sexually assaulted the woman which the cameras, that he knew nothing about, picked up.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted multiple violent offences against the woman in their west Leeds home, along with the sex offence, and was jailed at Leeds Crown Court.
The couple had been together for more than three decades, but in recent years she grew suspicious that he was being unfaithful on dating websites.
The 54-year-old husband continues to deny this and even blamed their own son for being on the dating sites.
She called the police in February to say he had attacked her, and then provided multiple recordings of his violence.
There were incidents of him kicking her, dragging her around, holding her by the throat and on one occasion, he pinned her against the wall with a broom handle to her neck.
He was drunk and sobbing in many of the videos played to the court.
He later admitted five counts of common assault, three counts of strangulation, two of ABH and one of sexual assault.
The sexual assault occurred when he straddled her and threatened to pull out his penis, shouting “come on”, while she was unable to move.
He has no other previous convictions.
In a victim impact statement, the victim said she had become “conditioned” to the violence, saying he went for her around twice a month while his behaviour became “progressively worse”.
Mitigating on the husband’s behalf, Jade Bucklow said while it was regarded as a sexual assault, it was more “violence with a sexual element” and was not sexually motivated.
She said: “He describes the footage as horrific. He is deeply ashamed and stunned by what he has become.
“He recognises the profound effect it would have had on his wife.”
However, she said there was a “degree of things going both ways” with the relentless accusations that he was being unfaithful.
She added: “There’s a lot of footage of him sobbing and pleading before he snaps.”
She said the pair had now separated but he was still paying the mortgage.
Judge Andrew Stubbs told him: “It showed clear evidence of what was going on behind closed doors.
“It graphically captures how violent it had become. I watched you kick, punch, slap and strangle her.
“I have watched you become overwrought and emotional. You were drinking far too much.
“What must have been plain to you is that when you were drinking, you completely lost self control.”
He jailed him for 31 months, gave him a 10-year restraining order and said he must sign the sex offender register.