Smiling face of South Yorkshire man who 'slashed' wife with knife and said he would make their kids 'orphans'

Martin Underwood, aged 48, carried out the first of the two domestic abuse incidents against his then wife, with whom he has two children, on April 5, 2021.

During a February 3 hearing, prosecution barrister, Eddison Flint, told Doncaster Crown Court the pair had engaged in ‘consensual sex’at his address the previous day, but his wife – the complainant – who was not living with Underwood at the time was not happy with ‘some aspects’ of what transpired and she left.

The complainant returned to Underwood’s address on April 5, and noted he appeared to be drunk; and he subsequently embarked upon a persistent attack on his wife, during which he punched her and ‘slashed’ her in the arm with a knife.

Mr Flint told the court: “The defendant said: ‘I’m going to f***ing kill you, and then kill myself’,” adding that the complainant ‘pleaded’ with Underwood to stop, and he responded by telling her to take off her clothes.

Mr Flint said the complainant subsequently took an opportunity to escape, however Underwood attempted to ‘pull her back in but she managed to break free’ and the police were called to the scene, resulting in Underwood being arrested.

The courageous complainant chose to read out her victim impact statement in court, and said it was something she wanted to do because she had ‘been silenced for far too long’ by Underwood, who she described as being ‘highly manipulative and controlling’.

She detailed how during the course of her 15-year relationship with Underwood she went from being a ‘bright, talented Oxford graduate, full of confidence and ambition’ to someone who was isolated from her friends and family and was regularly degraded through a variety of methods such as being forced to sleep on the floor and who had to learn how to cover up the physical signs of the domestic abuse inflicted by Underwood, which included bruises.

The complainant described how during the April 2021 incident – which she said was the ‘final time’ Underwood attacked her – Underwood not only told her he would kill her, and then himself, but he also said he would make their young children ‘orphans’.

Mr Flint said Underwood went on to attack the second complainant – a girlfriend he lived with – on August 1, 2022 when, after engaging in consensual sex, Underwood turned violent.

During the course of the attack, Underwood grabbed the second complainant by the throat and punched her; and despite her protesting,it only came to an end after she managed to escape Underwood’s clutches long enough to raise the alarm online, leading to police being called to the scene.

In a statement read out in court, the second complainant said she was ‘in love with’ Underwood when he ‘turned nasty’ and attacked her, and said she has ‘never felt so scared’ in her life.

“I honestly believed he was going to kill me,” the second complainant said, adding that she terminated their relationship following the attack, and has subsequently been so desperate to protect herself from Underwood that she has legally changed her name.

Underwood, of Aspen Gardens, Worsbrough Dale, Barnsley, pleaded guilty to offences including threats to kill and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, relating to the two attacks, at an earlier hearing.

Brian Outhwaite, defending, said Underwood had been a sergeant in the British Army, who had served in Kosovo; and had an ‘exemplary service record’.

However Judge Michael Slater said there was not any proof of this in the documents submitted to the court, and noted that no discharge records had been included in evidence. Mr Outhwaite said he was basing the mitigation concerning Underwood’s ‘exemplary service record’ on what Underwood had told him. Judge Slater said he accepted, however, that Underwood had served in Kosovo.

“He observed and saw things [in Kosovo], things perhaps he will never forget, in particular a mass grave where numerous males were located,” Mr Outhwaite said, and detailed the impact Underwood’s time in the army has had on his mental health.

He added: “The combination of his mental health issues and problems, together with alcohol, together with a failing marriage – to some extent – some stress over the finances of the home he was living in [provide the context for his offending].” Mr Outhwaite said he did not wish to ‘minimise’ Underwood’s offending but said he was ‘under the influence of alcohol’ during both attacks.

Mr Outwaite said Underwood is ‘genuinely ashamed’ of the way he behaved; and is ‘extremely apologetic for the abuse they [the complainants] suffered on those occasions’.

Judge Slater jailed Underwood for six years, three months and granted indefinite restraining orders, as part of which Underwood is prohibited from contacting either complainant.

After jailing Underwood, Judge Slater turned to the first complainant, who read her statement out in court, and said: “I’d like to commend your incredible bravery. I’m sorry it’s been such a hard process getting to this stage. I know that things can’t get better overnight, but I hope they get better over time. I’d like to commend the second complainant for her bravery too.”

*There are a range of services available in Sheffield for women who are victims or survivors of domestic abuse.

You can ring the Sheffield Domestic Abuse Co-Ordination Team (DACT) helpline on 0808 808 2241 for advice and support, to find out which services can help and to get in touch with other services. You can also visit their website here.