Ceramicist Cleared of Assault Charges After Rugby TV Dispute
A court found a former teacher not guilty of assaulting his wife and daughter following an incident where he allegedly became enraged over not being able to watch a rugby match.
A ceramicist, Jeremy Broadway, has been cleared of assault charges after a dispute over watching a rugby match allegedly led to him smashing pottery and confronting his wife and daughter. Weymouth Magistrates' Court heard that Broadway, 70, lost his temper upon returning from lunch with his wife, Catherine, and daughter, Sam, when he could not find the England-Australia rugby match on television.
His daughter reportedly declined to help him search for the match at the time, as she was tending to their cat. Broadway's wife claimed that when she went to check their shared home studio, she found some of his pots had cracked on the stove. She testified that her husband then became 'like somebody possessed,' stormed into the studio, and smashed the pots against a wall. She further alleged that he assaulted her by grabbing her apron and pushing her against a sink. Broadway then allegedly struck a door in anger with a metal telescope before backing his daughter into a corner, prompting her to punch him in self-defense. Following these events, the wife and daughter barricaded themselves in the kitchen and called the police.
Broadway denied all allegations. He told the court that he had been channel hopping and found the suggestion he flew into a rage over missing the rugby 'almost laughable.' He stated he did not touch his wife in the studio and denied smashing pots, though he admitted to being annoyed that some had 'exploded' on the stove and that he 'might have raised my voice.' He claimed he did not act as an aggressor towards his daughter and that she had initiated an unprovoked attack. Broadway stated that his wife had left damp pottery unattended on the stove, causing it to crack and explode. He also mentioned that his daughter had punched him multiple times, causing a fracture in her own hand, while he attempted to shield himself.
Magistrates found the evidence presented by Mrs. Broadway and their daughter to be inconsistent and contradictory at times. Consequently, they were not satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt and found Mr. Broadway not guilty of two counts of assault. The alleged incident occurred on November 1 of the previous year at the family home in Child Okeford, Dorset. Broadway, a former public school teacher, was pictured in a pottery studio in 2003. The defense highlighted that in the initial 999 call, Mrs. Broadway reportedly told the handler she did not feel threatened and that her daughter sometimes misinterpreted situations due to autism. The defense also noted that Mrs. Broadway had said in the call that there had not been a heated argument and no threat was made by her husband.