A WOMAN thought she was going to be killed when her drunken husband sat astride her, pinning her to the floor and raised a kitchen knife into the air, a court heard.

Nicholas James Rosbotham, 37, admitted assaulting his wife Diane at their home in Fairway, Sandycroft, on July 23.

He was sentenced to 20 weeks with 13 weeks added from an earlier suspended sentence, making 33 weeks in total.

A restraining order not to harass Mrs Rosbotham will last for another two years.

Philip Marshall-Thomas, defending, said it was a classic case of a couple who could not live with each other but could not live without each other either.

They still loved each other very much and his wife had been to see him and had written to him while he was in custody on remand, he said.

Flintshire Magistrates Court heard both had been drinking most of the day and there was an argument over benefit payments.

Robert Blakemore, prosecuting, said Rosbotham went right up to her face and said: “I’ll have you” before following her to the kitchen and pushing her on to the floor.

While she was on her back he sat astride her and held her wrist and then held a 12 inch kitchen knife in the air above her head.

“She thought he was going to kill her and described him as a psychopath,” said Mr Blakemore.

While on the floor, he punched her in the face but she did not know where the knife went.

Rosbotham got off her and went into the dining room and she ran next door and phoned the police.

Officers searched the area but could not find him but he later returned to the house and police found him hiding under a bed.

In custody, he told police: “When I get out I will go back there and kick off with her. You mark my words. You will have to arrest me.”

He was held in custody after being charged with assault.

Interviewed, he said he was an alcoholic who had drunk two bottles of wine and he put himself as eight out of 10 on the sobriety scale.

He alleged his wife was as bad as him and they were verbally and physically abusive towards each other.

Mr Marshall-Thomas said Rosbotham had not become angry but was distressed when she had called him by another man’s name.

Rosbotham could still not remember what had happened but he had no intention of using the knife.

He was deeply remorseful for what he had done but said Mrs Rosbotham had to bear some of the blame for what had happened.

District Judge Andrew Shaw said it had been a troubled relationship characterised by offences of violence and Rosbotham had received community sentences and prison sentences in the past.

“On this occasion you used violence towards your wife. You punched her once, fortunately the injuries were not severe, but she was in a profound state of fear that you would punch her while holding the knife.”

The judge told Rosbotham he had not taken chances he had been given on a community penalty.

He had attended one offender substance abuse programme in a drunken condition and had encouraged some of the others who attended to leave early as he had done.