Husband locked wife in garden shed because she kept singing ‘ding dong the witch is dead’ after his mother died

Andrew Salmon, 42, was upset by his wife, Beverley’s reaction when his mother died so he locked her in the garden shed before assaulting her at their Truro home. Furious Salmon punched his wife, ripped her top open and twisted her breasts, Truro Magistrates’ Court was told.

Prosecutor Gail Hawksley said the row began when Mrs Salmon arrived home from work to find the house locked, curtains drawn, and her clothes in bags on the ground. Her husband told her: ‘It’s my house now.  You are not getting in’, before locking her in the garden shed, she said.

Magistrates heard she managed to climb out of the shed window, and used her key to get into the house, but Salmon grabbed her by the clothes. As she slipped and fell, he tried to drag her out by her legs, the prosecutor said.

They went upstairs and the row continued.  Mrs Salmon threw some of his clothes out of the window, and he threw her on the bed, got on top of her and ripped open her top.

He then put his arm across her throat causing her to struggle for breath, and grabbed and twisted her breasts.

When he was interviewed by police, Salmon admitted punching his wife, and claimed she was having an affair, He also said she had not liked his late mother, and had not been supportive or kind about his loss when she died, instead taunting him by repeating: ‘Ding dong, the witch is dead’.

Salmon, who has no previous convictions, told officers he had locked her in the shed to ‘P*** her off’, but said he knew she would be able to climb out of the window.

He told police he had been suffering from depression and said: ‘I was provoked, but I am sorry for what I have done to my wife and regret everything I did.’

Salmon pleaded guilty to assaulting his wife and will be sentenced next month.