Facing jail, police chief who threw Kindle at his wife in a drunken rage
A reTIreD police chief is facing jail after throwing his Kindle at his wife, giving her a black eye.
Shaun Sumner hurled the tablet device into her face shouting ‘Look what you’ve done’ after he became enraged after spilling his wine over it.
The attack, which saw him convicted for common assault, followed years of violence by Sumner, 62, towards wife Linda and left her with a cut and bruising, causing her and their daughter to subsequently flee their home, a court heard.
Sumner had been a chief inspector with Lancashire Police, winning three commendations including two bravery awards during a 30-year career.
But he left his wife in fear of her life after he left the force when he was injured during a training exercise, the hearing was told.
She said he would ransack her bedroom at their home in Whalley, Lancashire, and fire a ball bearing gun at the door during bouts of violence.
Magistrates in Bolton were told the couple had been married for 35 years but had separate bedrooms for about five years. Mrs Sumner, 66, said: ‘He would come in ransacking my bedroom, and dragging me out of bed at night.
‘He also had a BB gun that he would shoot at my door. It’s intimidating. I would never get a decent night’s sleep and I was frightened to death of him.
‘I would never know what he was going to do next.’
The assault occurred in December 2014 after Sumner damaged his Kindle after spilling white wine over it while drinking in the early hours of the morning. He then barged into his wife’s room, blaming her for the accident, said Mrs Sumner.
‘I couldn’t lock my door, and even if I did he would come barging in,’ she said. ‘He would kick the door until it gave way, he tooled the handle off.
‘He was saying “Look what you’ve done to it”, and just threw it at my face. He said to me, “I’ll tell them you were drunk”.’
Mrs Sumner suffered bruising around her eye and a small cut.
The couple’s daughter Nina Sumner, 30, told the hearing that after coming to visit she saw her mother’s black eye and told her father: ‘What have you done – you’re a monster.
‘He agreed he was ashamed ... and that he would seek help for his alcohol dependency and suspected mental health issues.’
Sumner started attending Alcoholics Anonymous but stopped going over Christmas. His wife and daughter fled the house on New Year’s Day after he got drunk again and began complaining about washing up. Miss Sumner said: ‘He started shouting things at me then as well, saying that I was mental ... We were both terrified of him, and we left.’
The court heard Sumner was forced to retire 15 years ago after an incident during firearm training left him with only 42 per cent hearing.
Despite a previous conviction for drink-driving, he denied being an alcoholic, saying: ‘I had a drink over Christmas yes – but I think most people do.’ He apologised ‘profusely’ for his wife’s injury but insisted it was an accident. His case was adjourned for reports, and he is understood to have left the marital home.
‘Frightened to death of him’