Drunken man kissed his wife's carer (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Drunken man kissed his wife's carer

MAGISTRATES took pity on a man who made a move on his sick wife's carer. Ian Wilmot, 53, of May Close, Gorse Hill, admitted a charge of common assault after drunkenly kissing the woman.

The court heard how Wilmot, who had no previous convictions, lunged at the carer after a booze session on March 3 this year.

Wife Anna, 61, who has a debilitating muscle wasting illness, watched helplessly as Wilmot made his move.

Paula Mulhern, prosecuting, said the carer was left shocked and embarrassed by the attack. She said: "During the evening Mrs Wilmot was taken ill and a doctor was called. The defendant arrived home at about 9.30pm and was agitated.

"The carer told him what had happened and attempted to pacify him. The situation calmed down and it was at this point that she kissed Mrs Wilmot goodbye.

"He said 'What about me?' and asked for a kiss. The carer went to give him a peck on the cheek but he grabbed her and pulled her towards him. He gave her a kiss on the lips. She was horrified and estimated that it lasted some time between five and 10 seconds.

"She pulled away and he kissed her again on the lips. His wife was still in the room."

Wilmot was then said to have asked the carer to rate the kisses.

Gordon Hotson, mitigating, pointed out the carer continued to work with the couple for six weeks after the attack. "She signed her statement on April 17 that was some time lag," he said.

Mr Hotson said his client had been feeling the pressure of caring for his sick wife. "This was a drunk man at his lowest ebb," he said. "The following day he realise how out of order he had been and phoned the carer to apologise."

Mr Hotson said Mrs Wilmot had been in a wheelchair since 1972 and her condition is getting worse.

"That day Mr Wilmot had not had much in the way of sleep or food. That combination made him behave in a way that has landed him in court today for the first time in his life.

"He has always had a good relationship with his wife's carers. It has tended to be jocular with lots of banter. This incident has had a devastating effect on both my client and his wife."

Sentencing him to a 12-month conditional discharge, Margaret Penfound, chairwoman of the bench, told him: "This was a really sad, unfortunate and traumatic incident and we took into account the scenario around your wife. We also took into account your remorse."

Wilmot was told to pay £37 costs.