A Chief Superintendent has been cleared of assaulting his wife after she discovered "embarrassing" messages on his phone which suggested he had been unfaithful.
Karl Wilson, who works for Northumbria Police, was charged with assaulting his wife twice and damaging her property during a domestic incident at their home in the Great Park area of Newcastle.
North Tyneside Magistrates' Court heard how the 49-year-old’s wife returned home from a Halloween party on October 28 last year and found him intoxicated.
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Michael Bunch, prosecuting, told the court how she looked at his mobile phone as she had concerns as to his faithfulness. He said: "She identified messages that appeared to suggest her fears were genuine."
Wilson was initially accused of rugby tackling his wife and kneeling on her chest to recover the mobile phone, ripping her dress, damaging her necklace and a mobile phone in the process.
He was then accused of grabbing her wrist in a second assault, after he was arrested by police. The court heard how his wife had dropped his phone and he moved forward to get it, allegedly grabbing her wrist.
Wilson, of Great Park, Newcastle, denied two charges of assault by beating and one count of criminal damage.
The first assault by beating charge and the criminal damage charge, which related to all three items, were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Two police officers, Craig Brown and Nathan Collins, who attended the address on the night, gave evidence to the court in North Shields.
Both witnesses said Wilson was slurring his words and, after being arrested on suspicion of assaulting his wife, he grabbed her by the wrist.
PC Brown told the court how he initially arrested Wilson but did not put handcuffs on him. He said it wasn't until his wife dropped the phone, and Wilson made a grab for it, that he needed to take alternative action.
In body worn footage, which was played to the court, PC Brown can be heard telling Wilson: "Don't grab her."
During his evidence, PC Brown said: "I got a hold of his wrist. He had a hold of her wrist as I had a hold of his. I wasn't physically dragging him away, I'm like 'come on, no fighting' and pull his wrist away."
PC Brown said he then put handcuffs on Wilson.
When PC Collins was asked how sure he was that Wilson had a physical hold of his wife, he replied: "Yes, certain."
Wilson denied grabbing his wife by the wrist, telling the court that she had taken the phone out of his hand. During his evidence on Monday afternoon, he said: "At that point I wanted possession of my mobile phone.
"We had an argument about some of the messages on my phone, which were highly embarrassing messages, quite upsetting for Helen. Something I'm certainly not proud of."
He went on to say that he had drank three large glasses or wine, telling the court: "I was drunk but I certainly recall the whole incident."
Steven Reed, defending, said: "This was someone taking back their own property. The officers didn't know this was his own property.
"There's insufficient evidence here to show it's intentional and it's someone using their right to protect their own property."
District Judge Paul Currer said he was satisfied that the body worn footage showed a scuffle for the phone.
He said: "The defendant did no more than try to retain his phone in his home in a very dynamic and difficult situation.
"In reality I don't think he took a hold of her at all. I find this not proved."
Wilson chose not to comment following the not guilty verdict.
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