A VICIOUS husband punched and stabbed his wife before strangling her with a dog lead in a horrifying and unprovoked attack.

Stuart Wiseman launched the assault, which lasted for two hours, without warning at the couple’s home in Swan Grove, Chappel.

The attack followed a sustained campaign of domestic abuse at the hands of Wiseman, including an incident earlier this year when the troubled husband stabbed his wife in the leg.

Appearing at Colchester Magistrates Court yesterday, Wiseman, 44, admitted charges of assault causing actual bodily harm and repeatedly engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour.

Mrs Wiseman also acted as a carer for her husband, who suffers with epilepsy, mobility issues and mental health problems.

The police were alerted to the abuse by a concerned neighbour who noticed the injuries and raised the alarm.

Barry Hargreaves, prosecuting, said: “It started off as a normal day.

“In the evening Mrs Wiseman wasn’t feeling very well, so she got changed and lay on the bed.

“At some point her husband came into the room and began an unprovoked attack.

“He punched her, stabbed her with a knife, strangled her with a dog lead and smothered her.

“He said very little throughout the attack apart from ‘Do you want me to hit you again?’

“She continued to fight him off, together with their dog, which tried to stop Mr Wiseman by biting him.

“At times it was difficult for her to breathe, she feared for her life.

“I believe she was assaulted for about two hours.”

The court heard Mrs Wiseman worked as a dinner lady, with co-workers, friends and family noticing a change in her behaviour over the past two years.

Mr Hargreaves said: “There are two previous incidents of serious assault on her, he stabbed her on a previous occasion and beat her.

“She said they have been married for nearly ten years and for the first seven to eight years there were no problems whatsoever.”

Matthew Bone, mitigating, said Wiseman had admitted guilt at the first opportunity.

“This is a man who is wrestling with demons from his past as well,” he said.

“He has said ‘I have acted appallingly, I have done a terrible wrong, I need to start putting that right.”

Wiseman was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on November 29.