A JEALOUS husband threatened to throw acid in the face of his estranged wife as he strangled and beat her while they drove home from a family funeral. Thomas Ward had travelled with her to Wrexham for the event on Thursday, May 16, then after, offered to drive her home to Northwich. While en route, the 40-year-old accused her of seeing another man behind his back, then started battering her from the driver's seat.
He then pulled the car to the side of the road and pushed her head down towards the passenger footwell while strangling her. She told police at one point, she felt she was about to lose consciousness, and remembers him threatening to throw acid in her face. He carried on punching her for some time after releasing her, leaving cuts, lumps, and bruises.
Over the following days, she tried to conceal her appearance with make-up, but one of their children – all of whom were living with her – noticed, and told a teacher at school. A few weeks later, on June 11, Ward turned up at their home in Northwich, banging on the door and making threats, demanding to be let in, which she refused. He said he was going to break the door down and ‘smash her face in’, all while their children were upstairs.
Police were called, who questioned him about this and the May 16 incident in the car, though he said she’d been the aggressor. He was later charged with one count each of intentional strangulation, assault by beating, and making threats to kill. At a plea hearing at Chester .