Abuser who threatened to kill his disabled wife breaches order aimed at protecting her

Sunday World

13-07-2025

Stewart Nicholl (75) was sentenced to five months and hit with a non-molestation order in February.
A vile abuser who's already done time for kicking, slapping and threatening to kill his disabled wife 'slowly' has admitted breaching a court order aimed at protecting her from him.
Stewart Nicholl (75) was sentenced to five months and hit with a non-molestation order in February for what the judge described as a 'despicable' attack on his spouse of 50 years at their Islandmagee home in Co Antrim.
The court heard at the time how the cruel pensioner had subjected the woman to a prolonged assault before taking her phone and leaving her lying on the floor for two hours as she begged for help amid an onslaught of 'verbal abuse'.
His victim, also in her 70s, uses crutches to get around and was unable to get back on her feet following the attack on October 27 last year.
After mustering up the strength to pull herself to the bathroom and lock the door, the prosecution said 'he was outside the door, counting down from 10 and banging the door'.
Domestic violence Pensioner Stewart Nicholl, 75.
News in 90 Seconds - Sunday July 13
In a bid to save herself from her domestic abuser, the woman called 999 from her Apple watch.
Police arrived to find the OAP 'on the floor' in the bathroom in a 'distressed state' before she revealed her husband had told her: 'You won't need your phone. I am going to kill you and it's going to be done slowly over a few days.'
While Nicholl's defence admitted at an earlier hearing it was an 'appalling set of facts' and that the marriage was over, they later said their client had a 'different interpretation' of events but would plead guilty.
They told the court in January: 'Whatever happened, that is no excuse to resort to this type of activity. It is a very, very, sad case. The parties have been together for over 50 years.'
The lawyer described domestic violence as an 'epidemic in society'.
District Judge Nigel Broderick said: 'These facts are, quite frankly, harrowing.'
Stewart Nicholl, 75, was jailed this week for five months.
Addressing Nicholl, he added: 'The horrors you put your wife through are nothing short of despicable. She is a lady in her mid-70s, she has mobility issues, she is on crutches in her home where she should feel safe and she should certainly not be attacked by her husband.
'You push her to the floor, when on the floor you kick her, you slap her in the face, you take her phone off her and you leave her lying there on the floor for two hours.
'You verbally abuse her and stand over her, no doubt in a fit of anger, and you say 'I am going to kill you and it is going to be done slowly over a few days'.
'This poor lady then somehow musters the strength to pull herself along the floor to the bathroom and locks the door and thankfully she had the means of raising the alarm on her Apple watch because you, in your fit of anger, had taken her phone.'
The judge also highlighted how Nicholl had 'minimised' his responsibility when spoken to by probation and 'essentially blamed the victim in some way for what happened'.
Nicholl pleaded guilty to assault, threat to kill, threatening and abusive behaviour, and criminal damage to a mobile phone strap.
Taking his guilty plea and lack of a relevant record into account, the judge sentenced him to five months in January and issued a non-molestation order until the end of 2025.
While the domestic abuser at first intended to appeal, he later dropped the case and was 'taken down'.
But Nicholl has been back in court after admitting to breaching that order, despite his barrister's assertion that it was a 'technical breach'.
The violent pensioner, with a new address at Castle Espie near Comber, Co Down, was reported to have breached the order by going to a property in Islandmagee on April 12.
His latest case, heard at Ballymena Magistrates' Court, was adjourned until July 24 for a pre-sentence report.