Man attacked wife with a chainsaw

A MAN was told yesterday he faces a life sentence for attacking his solicitor wife with a chainsaw, leaving her needing 50 stitches to her head and surgery to reattach an ear.

Patrick Darragh, 52, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent on his wife, Claire Bates, at their Northamptonshire home in May this year.

The civil engineer, who was also jailed in 1998 for slashing his then-partner across the throat, attacked Ms Bates with a chainsaw during an argument outside Denford Lodge Cottages in Denford, near Thrapston.

Darragh, originally from Co Tyrone, had faced a charge of attempted murder, which he denied, but Timothy Spencer QC told Northampton Crown Court the plea to the lesser charge had been accepted.

One of the reasons for accepting the plea, counsel said, was contained in a letter written by Ms Bates to the court which was not made public.

Mr Spencer told the court Ms Bates had visited Darragh in prison “very, very frequently” since the attack.

“It would seem to be her firm intention to forge some kind of reconciliation, whether it be a full reconciliation, who knows?”

Last night Ms Bates refuted the suggestion that she wanted a reconciliation.

Adjourning the case until next month, Judge Charles Wide QC said he wanted an assessment of Darragh’s level of danger, to his partner or to the public in general, and said he was considering a life sentence or an indefinite sentence for public protection.