Northern Ireland

Pensioner jailed for unprovoked attack on wife

Roy Cairns who was sentenced after having earlier pleaded guilty
Roy Cairns who was sentenced after having earlier pleaded guilty Roy Cairns who was sentenced after having earlier pleaded guilty

A PENSIONER who launched a prolonged and unprovoked attack on his wife of 37 years in their west Belfast home has been was jailed.

Roy Cairns - who described his behaviour on September 8, 2017 as "monstrous" - was handed a three-year sentence which will be divided between 18 months in prison and 18 months on licence.

During sentencing at Belfast Crown Court, it emerged that Cairns 62-year old wife had her head banged off a radiator, was trailed around by her hair and repeatedly punched and kicked.

Neighbours took her to the Royal Victoria Hospital where she was treated for a head wound which required staples. Four teeth were also damaged and she is still undergoing dental treatment.

Cairns (66), with an address at Cloona Glen in Dunmurry, has not seen his wife since attacking her, and expressed remorse which the judge considered to be sincere.

Crown prosecutor Gareth Purvis told the court the former Northern Ireland Housing Executive employee pleaded guilty to a charge of wounding his wife with intent to cause her grievous bodily harm.

The prosecutor said Cairns launched the unprovoked attack after the couple had spent the evening watching TV and consuming a moderate amount of alcohol. As she went to bring the dog in from the back at around 11pm, she was "attacked without any reason or trigger" in the kitchen.

The court was told Cairns grabbed his wife by her hair, flung her sideways then started banging her head off a radiator. At this point, she felt blood on her scalp, and her husband continued the assault by trailing her around by her hair.

Mr Purvis continued: "She tried to escape but the front door was locked. She tried to get up the stairs, but he pulled her back then repeatedly punched and kicked her in the hallway."

The prosecutor said that at one point she tried to calm her husband down but he told her he felt she had dictated and ruined his life, and she had no respect for him.

When she managed to break free, she ran to a neighbour's house and was taken to hospital. She later told police the attack was "out of the blue", and said the incident has had a significant impact on her. She also expressed concerns about what would happen if she encountered her husband again, and has experienced a lack of confidence and flashbacks.

Mr Purvis said that apart from one incident in 2009, there was no history of domestic violence.

A defence barrister for Cairns expanded on his client's troubled background and childhood - including abandonment - which he said may have been a catalyst.

He spoke of Cairns's work history, consisting of 32 years with NIHE after a stint with the Irish Army.

He also revealed the pensioner has been working with a mental health team, has not breached a non-molestation order taken out by his wife, and is now living an isolated and ostracised life away from his marital home.