Ian Murdy assaulted his long-term partner of 30 years after she threw a drink over him for turning off a film she was watching. The couple had been married for three decades, but she had been living away from him and had only recently returned to their shared home before the violence erupted.
The Attack
Newcastle Crown Court heard that on March 18 2024, Murdy and the woman had dinner together, and Murdy consumed wine and spirits. In the early hours, while they were watching a film, Murdy turned it off. The woman told him she was still watching and threw her drink at him. As she went upstairs, he punched her in the chin. She barricaded herself in a bedroom with furniture to prevent him from entering.
Prosecutor Jane Foley said Murdy, who had airguns legally stored at the property, shouted that he would shoot her. He later got into the bedroom and lay on the bed. When the woman tried to leave, he kicked her as she walked past, and she struck him back. After sleeping in separate parts of the house for a few hours, Murdy went upstairs around 5am and woke her, prompting her to go downstairs to get away. He followed, grabbed her wrists, and pushed her into a chair in the living room, pressing her face into the cushion so she struggled to breathe. He then fell to the ground, bit her on the leg, leaving a small mark, and threw several punches at her head while threatening to kill her.
Injuries and Victim Impact
The woman attended hospital, where doctors found tenderness to her neck and jaw, along with bruising, including a shin injury from the bite. In a victim impact statement, she said: "I'm no longer trusting of people since the attack, particularly when socialising. I don't like to be around people who are drunk because that's when he would get nasty." She also expressed fear of encountering Murdy and concern that he might damage her car while she visits her daughter.
Court Proceedings
Murdy, 60, of Denwick Avenue, Lemington, Newcastle, had five previous convictions. He pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The court sentenced him to 10 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, with an alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement for 90 days and a restraining order.
Defence lawyer Brian Mark said: "He is ashamed of it. He understands his behaviour is disgraceful." He added that the victim now lives in another part of the country and Murdy is unlikely to see her again.
