A former Olympic athlete from Liverpool has been cleared of attacking his GP wife. Curtis Robb, 54, originally from Woolton, represented Great Britain in the 800 metres at both the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games. He was alleged to have assaulted and threatened Sarah Robb, 47, as well as calling her names and subjecting her to constant criticism between December 2015 and August 2023.
Trial at Chester Crown Court
During the trial at Chester Crown Court, the court heard that the two doctors appeared to be a happy and successful couple. However, Mr Robb, an orthopaedic surgeon, allegedly possessed a dark side and had been physically violent and cruel. On Tuesday, following around four hours of deliberations, a jury found Mr Robb, now of Northwich, Cheshire, not guilty of both controlling and coercive behaviour and suffocation. He was also awarded legal aid costs.
Allegations and Denials
Ms Robb reported her husband to police in October 2023, further alleging that he had pressed a pillow over her face during an argument while on a family holiday six months prior. When questioned the following day, Mr Robb denied the allegations and told detectives: "My wife is never happy which is why we are in this scenario." The couple first met while working as junior doctors in Sheffield, before tying the knot in 2010 and going on to have three children.
The court heard that matters came to a head during an Easter 2023 holiday in the Lake District, when Ms Robb alleged the defendant held a pillow over her face in an unprovoked attack. She informed police of violent episodes, including two during her pregnancy with their third child – one in which she claimed he thumped her on the arm which left bruising and another in which he punched her on the arm and in her side while he was driving. She also alleged he called her a manipulative bitch and neurotic, suggested she could not manage as a mother and undermined her professional position as a GP.
Mr Robb informed the court he had experienced verbal and physical abuse from his wife. He denied attempting to suffocate her while on holiday and, when questioned if he put a pillow over her face, responded: "Have I heck. She remonstrated with me, I pushed her back." The consultant, based at Warrington Hospital, was suspended from patient-facing duties after he was charged in April 2025.
