Ashford man Ben Appleton jailed after strip club row ends in knife attack on wif

A man's visit to a strip club led to a furious row with his wife... and a jail sentence for attacking her with a knife.
Ben Appleton thought his saucy night out would remain a secret - and it was until he stripped to reveal a venue stamp on his arm showing he had spent the night watching strippers.

It led to an angry confrontation with his wife Tina and police were called to the family home in The Close, Ashford.

Officers even threatened to taser Appleton until he agreed to drop the two knives he was carrying.

Now Appleton, 25, has been sent to prison for two-and-a-half years after admitting unlawfully wounding his wife and affray.

Prosecutor Vivian Walters told Canterbury Crown Court the incident happened in May - just a year after the couple married.

Mrs Appleton, who has two children from a previous relationship, later told police her husband "had issues with drinking in the past".

The pair had rowed and at 4pm Appleton went out to "go drinking". Hours later, after drinking 10 pints, he began sending her "abusive text messages".

Ms Walters said Appleton returned at 9.30pm still being abusive, saying he had "bumped into an old partner of hers from 10 years earlier".

The prosecutor said he then changed his clothes and went out, telling his wife "anywhere is better than being here!"

Appleton - who has previous convictions for burglary, robbery, drink driving and a sex offence - returned at 3am "banging loudly on the front door and being abusive and accusing her of having affairs", Ms Walters added.

"It was then he started to take off his clothes and she saw that he had a stamp from a local strip club. She became upset and called him a hypocrite.

"He then became very angry and smashed a photograph frame before grabbing his wife by the hair and put his fist inside her mouth."

The prosecutor told how Mrs Appleton fought him off – as her husband screamed: "Do you think you are going to scratch me up? I'm not frightened of you."

He then punched his wife in the face, grabbing her hair again and trying repeatedly to smash her head into the floor.

"He then became very angry and smashed a photograph frame before grabbing his wife by the hair and put his fist inside her mouth..." - Vivian Walters, prosecuting
Ms Walters added: "He then went into the kitchen and picked up a kitchen knife and his
wife feared for her life. He then grabbed her around the neck and held the weapon to her face."

During the struggle, Mrs Appleton received a stab wound in her knee as police officers arrived, ordered him to drop two knives and threatened to use a taser weapon.

After his arrest Appleton, threatened to slit the throat of one of the officers, "if I see you walking around the town", the prosecutor added.

Nicolas Jones, defending, said the defendant accepted he had behaved "in an appalling way", but hoped to re-kindle their relationship.

Judge Adele Williams said the sustained attack had gone on while Mrs Appleton's two young children had been asleep in bed.

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