Peter O’Donnell – Redruth

A pensioner from Redruth has been jailed after a string of violent attacks on his wife, culminating in a brutal assault that left her with serious injuries.

Peter O’Donnell, aged 82, of Pond Lanes End, appeared at Truro Crown Court where Judge James Adkin described his behaviour as ‘an entrenched pattern of abuse.’

The court heard that O’Donnell punched his wife Lesley in the face with an uppercut after she asked him to tidy his bedroom.

The blow caused her teeth to bite through her tongue, leaving her bleeding heavily.

Following the attack, O’Donnell hid all phones in the house to prevent her calling for help and fled, only returning the next day when police were present.

This latest offence comes after two previous convictions for assaults on Lesley. Last December, O’Donnell received a suspended sentence for striking her multiple times with a wooden shoe horn, leaving her unconscious and bleeding.

In April, he was given a conditional discharge for pouring a pan of warm baked beans over her head.

Lesley, who has been married to O’Donnell for 22 years, told the court the past 18 months had been ‘horrible’ and said she fears he will return to harm her. ‘I don’t love him, I don’t like him. I don’t have enough money to leave him,’ she previously stated in a victim impact report.

O’Donnell denied causing actual bodily harm in the latest attack, claiming her injuries were accidental, but was convicted by magistrates.

Alongside a prison term of 18 months, Judge Adkin imposed a ten-year restraining order to protect Lesley.