A FORMER honorary police officer sat on top of a woman and tried to choke her with his knees, jurors heard yesterday.
The alleged victim sobbed as she claimed that Simon Rhys Williams, who weighs 22 stone, threw her to the ground, sat astride her and began to choke her. She believed she was going to die, the court heard.
The woman also alleged that Mr Williams later threw her to the ground again and stamped on her feet. She was found to have multiple bruises across her body, the Royal Court jury heard.
The 43-year-old denies two charges of grave and criminal assault.
The alleged attacks took place on the evening of 15 August last year at a property in St Lawrence, the court heard.
Giving evidence from behind a screen, the woman said that she and Mr Williams had been arguing when he pushed her to the floor and then sat on top of her.
She wept as she said: ‘His knees were on either side of my neck and he was shouting “choke”.
‘His eyes were bulging and he was raging. I thought I was going to die.’
The court heard that she bit his hand, causing him to jerk back, and told him she was going to call the police.
The woman added: ‘He said: “Who’s going to believe you? I am the police.”
‘He tried to yank the phone out of my hand and it must have hit him in the nose.’
The woman said she escaped into the back garden of the property but Mr Williams caught her, threw her to the ground and stamped on her feet.
He then phoned the police himself and claimed that the woman had attacked him. When they arrived she was arrested for assault.
Advocate Simon Thomas, prosecuting, told the court: ‘He knew he had assaulted the victim and wanted to get his complaint in first.’
In interview, Mr Williams told officers that the woman had punched him in the nose and may have received bruises to her shoulders when he had frog-marched her out of the house.
However, Advocate Thomas said: ‘He could not account for her other injuries. It was only when she was at the police station that the true picture emerged.’
A police doctor examined the woman and found bruises to her neck, chest, left arm, lower abdomen, buttocks and ankles, the court heard. He concluded that they had all been ‘caused very recently’.
The advocate added: ‘The extent of the injuries that the police did not appreciate, but which the police doctor noticed, are entirely inconsistent with the explanation given by the defendant.
‘But they point very firmly to the victim’s account of being gravely and criminally assaulted that Sunday evening.’
The trial continues.
