Savarimuthu Arunthavarasa, 57, of Bensham Court, Gateshead, was jailed for 16 months at Newcastle Crown Court after pleading guilty to common assault and making threats to kill. The court heard he threw a butter knife at his wife's head and told her: "I will kill you" after she refused to get him more alcohol.
Arunthavarasa had been married to the victim for 28 years, and she said he had started to consume alcohol more regularly and she was terrified around him when he was intoxicated. He had previously assaulted the woman.
Incident on August 19
On August 19 this year, Arunthavarasa had been consuming alcohol since 6am and asked his wife for more. She told him not to have any more after a small bottle of Jack Daniels and went to work.
At 11pm that night, she returned home and Arunthavarasa demanded more drink, but she refused. He then picked up a butter knife and threw it at her head, telling her: "I will kill you." The knife left her with a sore head for three days but caused no visible injury, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
Threats to kill and arrest
She threatened to call the police, to which he responded by laughing and said: "The police are nothing to me. If the police get me, I will come back in a few days and kill you." Police were called by their adult son, and he was arrested.
In a victim impact statement, the woman said: "This incident has further left me petrified for my own safety. I thought he might carry out his threats while I'm vulnerable, which has stopped me going about my life normally.
"I'm constantly in fear he will come back to my home and cause me serious harm. I feel I will not be safe at my home any longer.
"His behaviour towards me is frightening. I never know what he might do next. Because of his threat to kill me, I'm very scared."
Court outcome
Arunthavarasa, who has a previous conviction for assaulting his wife, was jailed for 16 months and made subject to a restraining order.
Mairi Clancy, defending, said Arunthavarasa came to the UK from Sri Lanka in 1993. She told the court: "He has behaved in this way for a second time because he is an alcoholic. He accepts, through me, alcohol is the root cause of these problems."
