Wife bit estranged husband in back in self-defence amid row over £30
Mother-of-one Hannah Kimani, 24, bit Anthony Gechengo on his left shoulder with sufficient force to leave teeth marks and a ''significant'' flesh wound, Warrington Magistrates Court heard on Monday (August 18).
The couple had been arguing at Gechengo's residence in Crewe after he discovered Kimani had borrowed £30 from a male friend, Cavendish Press reported.
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In an ensuing row it was claimed he pinned his wife to the bed and called her a ''prostitute'' before punching her in the chest and stomach.
In response she punched him in the face before biting him on the back when he tried to stop her from leaving. Kimani, a support worker, fled the scene but was arrested later.
She appeared at Warrington Magistrates Court on a single charge of causing actual bodily harm, but was found not guilty by justices of the peace, who accepted she acted in lawful self-defence.
Ms Kimani, of Luke Place, Bedford, said 'amen' and broke down in tears as the the verdict was pronounced.
The incident occurred on February 20 this year when Kimani travelled 140 miles from her home in Bedford went to visit her husband at his rented room to discuss various ''issues'' between them.
Gechengo told the court: ''Initially it was peaceful and I would call it agreeable discussions, but the two of us came to a point where we were arguing and that is when it became physical, pull and push.
"I left the room for about five minutes, to have a cool down but when I went back and got a chair to sit on by the door everything went haywire.
'She attacked my face and there were a few slaps here and there. I covered my face with my hands and I put my head down between my knees but it left my back exposed and that is when I got a bite. Initially after the assault I was quite disorientated.''
As Kimani left the scene to get a cab, Gechengo made to a 999 call to police during which he said, 'My wife has bitten me and pushed me around the floor.'
Kimani was arrested when she returned to the property an hour later to find a police officer there.
Giving evidence, Kimani said: 'My mum called me to say my three-year-old daughter was feeling unwell and she needed money to take her to hospital.
"I was sure my husband would not give the cash to me because of his mood so at that point so I called a male friend who lent me £30.
'But he started calling me a prostitute and I phoned a taxi. When the taxi was outside I told him I was leaving and I took my bag and jacket but at that point he pinned me on the bed and punched me in the chest.
'I punched him to get him away but he was punching me on the breast and stomach several times. I got up and went to the door but he pushed me and was trying to lock the door so I bit him on the back.
"He just felt pain and at that point I was able to escape. I was feeling scared. It was not the first time he has hit me. He has done it more than twice.'
Prosecutor Elizabeth Browne told the hearing: ''The violence was not necessary and certainly not proportionate. Even on the defendant's account she says that Anthony had his back towards her.
''In order to inflict that injury she is taking it on herself to move closer to him and so be able to bite him. There is a significant bite mark, with such force that you are able to see bruising and the specific teeth indents.''
But Kimani's lawyer Hannah Kelly said: '' She had to punch him to the face to get him off her. He tried to lock her in the bedroom and was scared. She said she did not know what would happen if she did not get out.''
JP Stewart Bluntstone said: 'We accept the evidence of Miss Kimani which was clear, detailed and consistent. We do not attach weight to the evidence of Mr Gechengo because it was vague, inconsistent and lacked detail.
''Miss Kimani did bite and punch Mr Gechengo but we believe that this was self-defence, proportionate to the level of fear that was felt at the time.''
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