Major assaulted wife in dog mess row after terror attack ‘stress’
Army medic blames incident on breakdown caused by his work with Manchester victims
AN ARMY medic who attacked his wife following an argument about the family’s dog blamed the assault on a mental breakdown he suffered after treating child victims of the Manchester terrorist attack, a tribunal heard.
Major David Roscoe, 41, grabbed his wife Louise by the arms and forcibly pushed her out of their home in Denton, Lincs, as they argued over who should pick up their puppy’s excrement, the hearing was told.
Roscoe was said to have belittled her career as a GP and called her a “stupid moron” during the dispute, which took place as the couple’s three children were in a nearby playroom.
The 41-year-old was later arrested and convicted of common assault on his wife. He subsequently referred himself to the General Medical Council (GMC) for a disciplinary hearing.
At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, Roscoe wept as he admitted the assault but said he had been “overwhelmed” after he spent six months rehabilitating children injured in the Manchester bomb attack in May 2017, which killed 22 people.
Carlo Breen, a GMC lawyer, said: “She alleged she had been pushed by Dr Roscoe saying the relationship had deteriorated over the last couple of years. That evening, they were arguing over the fact she had not picked up dog poop... She alleged that [he] called her a moron and stupid, and swore at her. She referred to the doctor belittling her as a wife and as a mother. He would bring up her career as a GP and use it to belittle her.”
Roscoe, whose father served as a Royal Marine, was given an 18-month conditional discharge when he appeared before Lincolnshire magistrates in March last year.
He told the hearing that the year leading up to the incident was “immense”, beginning with a cancelled weekend birthday trip after his father became seriously ill.
He said: “Unfortunately I was involved with the incident in Manchester in May. My output was to try and help rehabilitate the children. I was going to visit schools and teachers and spending time with counsellors up here.
“My job was to put forward a sort of recommendation for how things can be and a series of safety nets. I wanted it to be right.
“Looking back to the incident, I just feel ashamed that it had got to that, it feels like I was a different person. I have no doubt my behaviour was wrong and my wife shouldn’t have had to suffer. I think she was overwhelmed by how I was.”
The hearing continues.
‘She alleged that [he] called her a moron and stupid, and swore at her. She referred to the doctor belittling her as a wife and as a mother’