Helen Thornton
Photo by Humberside Police

Woman Jailed After Stabbing Husband With Electric Toothbrush and Hitting Him With Rolling Pin

Helen Thornton, a 45-year-old woman from Grimsby, has been jailed after carrying out a horrific campaign of violence and abuse against her loving husband over several years. The cruelty included stabbing him with the sharp point of an electric toothbrush and repeatedly hitting him with a rolling pin. Thornton repaid her husband’s “love and support” in the “most grotesque way,” subjecting him to sadistic and sustained abuse.

During her trial at Grimsby Crown Court, Thornton denied two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm and one charge of controlling and coercive behavior. However, the jury convicted her on all counts. She had been remanded in custody for breaching her bail conditions multiple times before the trial, reported by the Manchester Evening News.

At the sentencing hearing at Hull Crown Court, Judge John Thackray KC described Thornton’s actions as “persistent behaviour over a long period” that had “a profound effect upon your victim.” He said, “You made his life a misery and it’s not less serious because it was committed in a domestic setting, it’s more serious because it involved a breach of trust.” Judge Thackray explained that the controlling and coercive behaviour caused her husband to live in fear of further violence. This occurred on at least two occasions between 2016 and the year of the trial.

Thornton’s husband endured the abuse “almost night after night.” In one disturbing incident in 2018, Thornton stabbed him with the pointed end of an electric toothbrush, causing a puncture wound. In February 2023, she attacked him again with a rolling pin, leaving him with severe bruising. Despite the physical violence, Thornton also threatened her husband, stating she would make false allegations against him that could damage his career.

Judge Thackray emphasized that Thornton’s actions were not less serious because she was a woman, adding, “This is a very serious case of its kind… It took him a long time to report you for this behaviour. Eventually, he summoned the courage to report you and he bravely gave evidence against you.”

Thornton was sentenced to two years in prison, with a 10-year restraining order placed on her. After the hearing, her husband spoke to Grimsby Live., saying, “I just don’t want her to hurt anyone else.” He added that despite being married for 19 years, they were now in the process of divorce. He chose not to comment further on his ordeal but hoped the case would be made public.

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