2001: SOCCER BOSS JAILED FOR ATTACK ON WIFE
The ex-secretary of the Bromsgrove Advertiser/Messenger District Football League received a ten-year prison sentence yesterday following a violent assault on his estranged wife and step-daughter using a baseball bat.Peter Townsend, who also served as manager for Barnt Green Spartak FC, had been residing in the clubhouse since his marriage ended.
His outburst occurred after he delivered laundry to his wife Susan's house in Newlands, Pershore, where she was living with her new partner, Paul Young.
During the trial, defense attorney Neil Ford QC explained that Mrs.
Townsend had told her husband, with a notable smirk, that their 14-year-old son Adam might not be his.
The assault resulted in Mrs.
Townsend being found semi-conscious with severe head injuries and a fractured arm; she also suffered bleeding from her nose and mouth, and her face was disfigured.
Prosecutor John Edwards stated that she required surgery to remove a blood clot from her brain, with part of her skull missing.
Meanwhile, her daughter Sally Bowering, 20, who had returned home unaware of the attack, was also assaulted when Townsend turned on her.
Sally managed to escape to a nearby pub after suffering a broken finger and needing 14 stitches for cuts.
Townsend, aged 46 and of previously good character, pleaded guilty to charges of attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Judge Frank Chapman described him as a jealous man whose mental state had deteriorated out of desperation.
The judge detailed how Townsend carried his wife into a bedroom and covered her head with her jeans in an attempt to conceal her bleeding.
When Sally returned home, she had to fight for her life against him.
The court heard that Townsend's marriage had become strained following the death of his stepson Scott, aged 19, in an accident, which led his wife to focus on a legal case against the hospital.
In December 1999, Townsend left the family home to live at the clubhouse but struggled with insomnia and suicidal thoughts.
Following the attack, he went to a nearby river intending to end his life but changed his mind and contacted the authorities, saying, "I've just lost my rag." Defense attorney Neil Ford conveyed that Townsend was deeply remorseful, emphasizing his normally reserved nature and total lack of prior violence.
He suggested that jealousy influenced his disturbed mind, leading to catastrophic injuries that shattered his family.
