Husband broke his wife's arm after she boasted about sleeping with another man in marital bed

Peter Graham, 68, may have been trying to give wife Sara Wheeler a "Chinese burn" but broke her arm in three places

By Sam Corbishley

Peter Graham was spared by a jail after admitting grievous bodily harm (Photo: central news)

A husband broke his wife's arm after she boasted about sleeping with another man in their marital bed.
Peter Graham, 68, used both hands to twist Sara Wheeler's left arm, breaking it in three places, during the row at the £1.5m home they shared at South Hill Park, Hampstead.
Ms Wheeler, 56, is a respected travel writer whose works include international bestseller 'Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica' and 'The Magnetic North: Notes on the Arctic Circle.'
Graham was 'repeatedly goaded' by his wife during the row about her affair, Blackfriars Crown Court heard.

Travel writer Sara Wheeler "goaded" her husband, the court heard (Photo: central news)

"She had taunted him by saying 'hit me, hit me, hit me' and then he gave her wrist a twist just to shut her up," said prosecutor Deepak Kapur.
Graham admitted causing grievous bodily harm.
Judge Rajeev Shetty told him: "The circumstances of this case I appreciate are sad and also embarrassing for both you and indeed Ms Wheeler.
"She had been having what appears to be a lengthy inter-marital affair and indeed on the day of the offence you were having an argument about it.
"It is accepted by the prosecution that this culminated in a sequence of events where she was screaming at you and confronting you when both you and her were in drink.
"She was blocking the door and repeatedly asking you to hit her.
"You grabbed her by the arm, intending no doubt to give her a Chinese burn.
"You twisted her arm forcefully and that had the effect of causing her to suffer a fracture to her wrist-slash-arm."

Graham said the "infidelity" which occurred in the marital bedroom set the incident off (Photo: CENTRAL NEWS)

The judge added: "You were arrested and interviewed and during the course of that interview I appreciate you were very candid with the police.
"There had come a time in 2016 when she had been talking about infidelity which had occurred at your own address, indeed in your own bedroom.
"This led to both of you drinking and having an argument."
Orla Daly, defending said it was 'not my intention on behalf of Mr Graham to embarrass' his wife before detailing the 'bizarre circumstances' of the incident.
"[Ms Wheeler] was terribly candid with the police on 27 February about the reasons behind the argument that led to that particular one-off incident of violence," she said.
"She was very candid about the role she had played and went so far as to name the other individual involved.
"There was nothing premeditated about the extraordinary events of that day.
"This was a heated argument about an extremely sensitive subject where Mr Graham was repeatedly being goaded and his feelings of unbearable hurt and humiliation have blown over in that split-second and he committed what he acknowledges more than anyone to have been a terrible offence."
Ms Daly insisted the fracas was a 'one-off incident in the context of a 20-year relationship' and described the 'acute emotional and psychological stress' Graham was under at the time.
"Your Honour is not dealing with a bully," she added.
When interviewed by officers, Graham 'blamed the incident down to alcohol, explaining that he had been drinking to excess to the extent of being an alcoholic in the past'.
He also 'explained the trigger being the incident of infidelity', added Mr Kapur.
The prosecutor added: "The actual process of the criminal proceedings has had a devastating effect on the family, in particular the two children of the family."
The court heard Graham has since moved out of the marital home but still sees his two teenage sons, regularly taking one of the boys to school.
He is barred from contacting Ms Wheeler but is allowed to visit the family home on the condition he leaves before she returns.
Ms Daly described the new arrangement as representing 'a lasting punishment for him'.
Judge Shetty repeated the 'disastrous effect' a prison sentence would have on the family unit, particularly on Ms Wheeler's ability to travel for work without Graham around to look after their children.
The judge told him: "You must realise, in case I have to spell it out to you, that assaulting a woman, even in circumstances of extreme stress can never be excused.
"But I can reach the conclusion that you are not by your nature a violent man and, perhaps more importantly than that, you are not a bully."
Graham was handed an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.
He must also undertake a rehabilitative activity requirement spanning 25 days and abide by a curfew stipulating that he must be indoors between the hours of 9pm and 8am.
The judge also ordered him to pay £535 costs as well as a court surcharge.

Mirror