A JEALOUS husband in a ‘toxic relationship’ placed a tracker on his wife’s car to see if she was having an affair, a court heard.
Wayne Humphryes started the controlling behaviour when he told his wife she was selfish for not aborting their child after giving birth at the age of 51, said prosecutor Neil Bisarya.
Preston Crown Court heard the 54-year-old then started accusing his wife of cheating on him from December 2021.
As a result of his suspicions, Humphryes placed a tracker on his wife’s car in June 2022 to check if she was having an affair, the court heard.
On one occasion Mr Bisarya said the defendant spat in her face, called her a liar and derogatory names when she returned home late from a baby presentation.
Mr Bisarya told the court Humphryes would also check on his wife’s whereabouts by using the live location features on Facebook and WhatsApp.
The court heard the defendant threw nuts in the victim’s face on another occasion in September 2022 before calling her ‘fat’, ‘spotty’ and a ‘disgrace’.
Following another argument over infidelity, the defendant told the victim ‘you have seen nothing yet, there is going to be fireworks’, the court heard.
Mr Bisarya told the court: “The defendant constantly told the victim that she was messed in the head and that there was something wrong with her.
“He told her that he wanted to destroy her financially.”
The court was told Humphryes was arrested on November 8 after the victim had called the police as she was worried he would get a knife from the kitchen and kill her.
As a result, Humphryes was placed on police bail with provisions not to contact his wife directly or indirectly.
However, on the same day, the court heard Humphryes returned to the house to try and get one of his children to get his wife to speak with him.
Humphryes, formerly of Dowie Close, Barrow, now lives at Fordbridge Road, Kingshurst, Birmingham.
He was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to engaging in a controlling / coercive behaviour in an intimate / family relationship between April 1 2021 – November 8 2022 in Barrow.
He also admitted a charge of harassment without violence between December 25 2022 – February 12 2023.
Mr Bisarya said this related to the defendant sending over 100 WhatsApp messages as well making attempts to call the complainant despite being on bail.
In her victim impact statement, the woman said: “He has destroyed my life. I have no self-worth. I was made to feel like I was always in the wrong. I now have no self-esteem and no confidence due to his constant intimidation.”
The court heard Humphryes and his wife had been married for 24 years, had five children and lived in Barrow together.
In mitigation, Kimberly Obrusik told the court: “The defendant has struggled to deal with relationships throughout his life.
"He maintains that he has issues with jealously, which became an issue when he was a young child. He has grown up with the view that infidelity can and does happen.
“He accepts it had been a problematic relationship for six or seven years and that it had become extremely toxic. He has a skewed view of women and relationships.
“During the marriage, he was the main breadwinner. He admits that he used finances as a way to behave during arguments.
“As a self-employed builder, he has had to start from scratch in the Birmingham area.”
His Honour Judge Archer sentenced Humphryes to a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years.
As part of the order, he was required to complete 30 RAR days, 100 hours of unpaid work and to partake in the Building Better Relationships Program.
He was also made the subject of a seven year restraining order.
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