Man attacks ex-wife with a baseball bat after finding her with taxi driver

A 43-year old man who attacked his ex-wife with a baseball bat after finding her “together” with a taxi driver has avoided jail.

Thomas Jackson was handed a two-year sentence, which was suspended for three years.

From Kendall Street in Belfast, Jackson admitted a charge of wounding his ex-wife on May 1, 2022.

He also admitted striking the taxi driver during the incident and pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting him occasioning actual bodily harm.

The court heard that Jackson and his wife had separated in late 2021 – and that on April 30, 2022 she had been out visiting family and returned to her north Belfast home in the early hours of the following morning in a taxi.

Jackson was no longer living in the marital home, but that evening he had let himself in and was upstairs when his ex-wife arrived home.

He had been drinking and whilst lying upstairs with the lights out, he heard noises coming from the living room.

He lifted a baseball bat and a wine bottle and saw his ex-wife “together” with the taxi driver in the living room.

Jackson – who later told police he ‘lost the plot and saw red’ – attacked his ex-wife with the baseball bat.

After she was hit on the top of the head and side of her face, she ran upstairs and locked the bathroom door.

Her estranged husband then kicked the bathroom door in, banged her head off the wall several times and told her he was going to kill her.

The taxi driver was also struck and when police arrived at the property at around 3.15am, Jackson, a father-of-three, was located in an upstairs room wearing just his boxer shorts and with bloodied hands and arms.

Judge Ramsey told Belfast Crown Court: “Thankfully the injuries sustained in this incident were, fortunately, not as serious as they might otherwise have been.”

Defence submissons made on behalf of Jackson highlighted his completely clear criminal record, his positive employment history and his expressions of remorse.

Judge Ramsey said he had also taken into consideration letters written by Jackson’s two step-sons who both indicated there was no history of domestic violence between Jackson and their mother.

A five-year restraining order banning Jackson from contacting his ex-wife was also imposed, and in addition, he was told to pay her £1,500 in compensation.