Sheep farmer, 65, 'threw his wife to the ground' in holiday row
Sheep farmer, 65, ‘threw his wife to the ground and tipped beer on her’ in row over her jetting off on a girls’ holiday to Majorca during the lambing season
- Andrew Bailey, 65, attacked private nursing assistant Lesley in February 2022
- The row followed her return from a holiday she said was to ‘get away’ from him
A sheep farmer assaulted his wife by throwing her to the ground and pouring a bottle of beer on her during a row after she went on holiday with friends to Majorca during the lamb season.
Andrew Bailey, 65, attacked private nursing assistant Lesley in a fit of rage after she returned home from the Balearic Islands and allegedly criticised her husband because there was no food in the fridge.
During the assault at the couple’s farm in Tarporley, Cheshire, Bailey grabbed his spouse of 12 months by her dressing gown lapel, ‘threw’ her to the floor, then took a bottle of beer she had in her hand before tipping it over her head.
Ms Bailey, 47, suffered bruising to her shoulder during the scuffle and later said she felt ‘breathless’ as if being ‘waterboarded’ as the beer went over her face. A court heard she has since been diagnosed with PTSD.
She claims she went on holiday to ‘get away’ from her husband, who was also accused of coercive behaviour and whom she referred to as a ‘psychopath’.
Andrew Bailey, 65, threw his wife to the ground and poured beer over her, leaving her with injuries and PTSD, a court heard
Leslie Bailey, 47, suffered bruising to her shoulder during the scuffle and later said she felt ‘breathless’ as if being ‘waterboarded’ as the beer went over her face
At Warrington magistrates Bailey, now of Carnforth, denied wrongdoing but was found guilty of assault by beating. He was cleared of coercive behaviour.
The court heard the pair met through a dating app during the first lockdown in 2020 and quickly formed a ‘passionate relationship.’ They later moved in together and wed in August 2021 after three attempts at arranging a ceremony.
Ms Bailey was previously a carer and was labelled a ‘townie’ by hew new husband, however she was said to have become ‘enamoured’ with the farming lifestyle and bonded with him over the purchasing of sheep at market.
The pair bought fashionable and expensive Badger Faced Texel sheep for the upcoming lambing season.
The pair were said to be ‘quite wealthy’, but after Covid affected their income they set up a farm shop called the Chicken Coop, selling their own produce and local eggs.
But according to Ms Bailey, her husband became angry when her ex-police officer father moved to the area to be closer to her and often stayed at the farm.
The former couple are said to have met on a dating app and bonded over buying sheep at market
Bailey was sentenced to a 24 month community order during which he must complete 20 rehabilitation activity hours and 100 hours of unpaid work
Bailey was said to have called his father-in-law a ‘miserable old man who drank two bottles of wine a night’ and expressed ‘disdain’ for his wife and her friends saying: ‘They are not country people, they are town people.’
The conflict came to a head on February 23 last year, after Ms Bailey went on holiday with her friends during the important lambing season.
At court, Bailey said it was ‘inappropriate’ of his wife to have gone away during the lambing season and called the attack a ‘tussle’.
He also admitted to the court he had grabbed her by the collar, claiming the injuries he inflicted could have been sustained ‘at any time’.
Bailey told the hearing: ‘Farming is all I ever wanted to be, it’s what I’m good at. But Lesley didn’t realise that farming is seven days a week. She would say it’s Friday, you’re going out – but you can’t do that on a farm and it’s not my cup of tea anyway.’
He accused his ex-wife of having a ‘drinking problem’.
He added: ‘It was inappropriate to go on holiday during lambing season. It is a difficult time of year, but it is also the nicest time to be a farmer as you actually bring lambs into the world. I don’t know why you would possibly go away – a farmer would never do that.’
Bailey, a sheep farmer, and his wife had been married for 12 months at the time of the assault
Wife Lesley said: ‘I was a happy go lucky, positive person before this and it will take me a long time to get back to the old me’
On her arrival back to the UK, Bailey picked up his wife from the airport but was said to have been rude to her during the journey back to the farm..
That evening Mrs Bailey made dinner and the pair settled down for a movie night but she was said to have started to complain her husband had not bought any food for them whilst they were away.
As she got a bottle of beer from the kitchen, Bailey grabbed her, later claiming his plan was to ‘take her to the fridge and show her’ the food, before bundling her to the floor and emptying the contents of the bottle over her face.
Police were called after a relative alerted by the noise saw Ms Bailey lying on the floor and her husband standing over her. Bailey was arrested and kept in custody for 23 hours.
He denied assaulting his wife saying: ‘I never assaulted her, it was a tussle. took her by the collar and said let’s see if there is some food in the fridge.
Andrew Bailey, 65, attacked private nursing assistant Lesley (pictured) in February 2022
At court, Bailey said it was ‘inappropriate’ of his wife to have gone away during the lambing season and called the callous attack a ‘tussle’
‘She could have got those injuries at any time. There is no way I could ever control that lady. It was always about her father.’
In a statement to police Ms Bailey said: ‘He just flipped and I could see it in his eyes. I feel damaged and destroyed by this. I was a happy go lucky, positive person before this and it will take me a long time to get back to the old me.’
‘I have lost trust in people and humanity. This experience will have a profound effect on my family and will also affect my elderly father, who is in ill health. He thought he should have done more to help me.
‘I’m just trying to take life day by day and return to being a very positive person.
‘I don’t want anyone to be hurt by him again. I was diagnosed with PTSD and signed off for two weeks from work. This meant I made a loss of £600 in earnings.’
Bailey was sentenced to a 24 month community order during which he must complete 20 rehabilitation activity hours and 100 hours of unpaid work
Lesley suffered bruising to her shoulder during the scuffle and later said she felt ‘breathless’ as if being ‘waterboarded’ as the beer went over her face
Bailey was sentenced to a 24 month community order during which he must complete 20 rehabilitation activity hours and 100 hours of unpaid work.
He was also ordered to pay the court £800 in trial costs as well as the £114 statutory surcharge.
A non-contact restraining order was also imposed between all parties for two years but magistrates rejected a request to ban Bailey from visiting the former marital area of Tarporley and Wettenhall, where his now ex-wife works. The couple have since divorced.
After the case Ms Bailey said: ‘I had no contact with his ex-wives before this but one of his previous partners has since said to me that she doesn’t want to be looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life.
‘The night before our wedding I was thinking was how I could get out of it. When I went away that time, it was not a holiday – it was to get away from him.
‘While I was there, he was constantly messaging me, saying why have you taken the car out, why are you taking fuel.
‘When he picked me up, he was in a foul mood. When I got back he grabbed me by the dressing gown, twisted it and threw me to the floor.
‘He poured drinks over my nose and mouth so I couldn’t breathe. I felt I was being waterboarded and I though he was going to ram me into the floor again.
‘I feel he is a psychopath. I am pursuing him through the civil courts as he still owes me in excess of £30,000.’
In mitigation defence lawyer Steve Coupe said: ‘Farming is his life, and he has a solid reputation in the community. He doesn’t do much outside of farming. For a gentleman of 65, he should be starting to slow down but he works five days a week and most weekends on the farm.
‘He has not had a police call out in the last 42 years and has only had one instance of contact with the complainant since the incident. They have now divorced.’
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