Ex landlord from Mansfield tried to strangle wife

Alan Graham Tighe, 64, of Baums Lane, Mansfield, pleaded guilty to assaulting his wife at their home on Burns Avenue, Mansfield Woodhouse, on March 27.

Police were called to the address after receiving a 999 call, said Ruth Snoddin, prosecuting.

She said: “The defendant says he slapped her - he doesn’t know how many times - on her left cheek.

“He denied pinning or trying to strangle her at first but then said he may have had his hands around her throat.

“He said she had goaded him. He said his wife was very drunk and had been out drinking all weekend.”

Tighe accused his wife of being an alcoholic, which she denied.

Donna Pursglove, mitigating, said: “Mr Tighe does accept his responsibility. He says he shouldn’t have followed her upstairs and the incident should not have taken place.”

She said Tighe had formerly run four pubs in Mansfield Woodhouse, but a stroke four years ago had caused memory problems and forced him to stop work. He was due to start a part-time gardening job the next day.

She said there was ‘clearly a big age difference’ between Tighe and his fourth wife.

“Over the last year, for about eight months his wife was seeing another man. From Monday to Friday she would live with the man and return home at weekends.

“The relationship ended and for the last two months she has been at home,” said Ms Pursglove.

“She has been demanding he leave the matrimonial home.

“In one fell swoop he is going to have a charge on his record, and he is going to lose his wife and his home.

“In the space of a weekend he has had to deal with all of that.”

Ms Pursglove told the court officers saw no visible marks on the victim and that she made two statements to police. In the second statement she admitted kicking Tighe on the legs.

Magistrates gave Tighe a 12-month community order, with 18 days of a rehabilitation activity requirement.

He was ordered to pay a £100 fine, £60 compensation to his wife, and £85 in costs.

He was banned from contacting his wife with a nine month restraining order.