Teacher who beat husband for 12 years is caught by his secret camera
A BATTERED husband set up a spy camera to film his teacher wife beating him up to prove that he was a victim of domestic abuse.
Neil Tweedy suffered the alcohol-fuelled abuse in secret for 12 years before he decided he could take no more.
Fearful that no one would believe his claims, 45-year- old Mr Tweedy installed a hidden camera inside the middle class couple’s £200,000 home in Stretford, Manchester.
Over two months the camera secretly filmed his wife, Helen, slapping him and swearing at him. On one occasion, she attacked him in front of their daughter, now four.
But Mr Tweedy, who handed the footage to police, spoke out in his wife’s defence after she appeared in court charged with assault. He claimed she was ‘a fantastic and brilliant teacher’ who simply needed help with her alcohol problem.
Earlier this week Mrs Tweedy, also 45, escaped jail after admitting three charges of common assault by beating when she appeared at Manchester Magistrates’ Court.
She was also banned from contacting her husband.
The court heard that the Tweedys, who have now separated, met 16 years ago and to family and friends appeared to be a normal, happy couple.
Pictures on their social media sites show them enjoying holidays together in the Netherlands and Greece. In one Facebook post, next to a photo of her husband in Amsterdam, Mrs Tweedy said: ‘Fab holiday and will hopefully go back this year... and yes he does look good!’
But Robin Lynch, prosecuting, said that three years into their relationship Mrs Tweedy had started drinking and became controlling towards her husband. The abuse began shortly afterwards, the solicitor said.
‘The defendant took over her husband’s finances and told him that he had to hand over all of his wages to pay the bills,’ Mr Lynch said. ‘In 2005 on a family holiday they were with the defendant’s parents and she shoved and pushed him and slapped him in the face. ‘From then on it became a regular thing. There were many happy times but it was not unusual at all for this to happen.’ Despite the attacks, the court heard, the couple married in 2008.
But their wedding night ended in disaster when Mrs Tweedy got drunk, then kicked and punched her new husband and tried to smother him.
Mr Lynch said: ‘She placed a duvet over his head for the assault to continue and he slept on the sofa.
‘They did go on their hon- eymoon and that was described by the complainant as a good time together but the verbal and physical abuse continued.’ The court heard that Mr Tweedy repeatedly left his wife, but always returned and four years ago the couple had a daughter together. However, earlier this year Mr Tweedy decided he could not take any more and installed the camera. It recorded three attacks by his wife – one in June and two in July – which Mr Tweedy handed over to police. When questioned by officers Mrs Tweedy, who has no previous convictions, declined to comment. James Street, defending, told the court the abuse stemmed from Mrs Tweedy’s long-term drinking problem. On Thursday she was sentenced to a 12-month community order, with 120 hours’ unpaid work, and banned from contacting her spouse for 12 months. Following the case Mr Tweedy spoke out on her behalf, and said he did not support the imposition of the restraining order but admitted she needed help.
‘Helen is a fantastic and brilliant teacher and gets to work for 7.30am and doesn’t leave till 7.30pm,’ he said.
‘She’s just so hard working ... I don’t support the restraining order as it will make access between her and our child difficult.
‘The problem was just alcohol. She was admitted to hospital twice in the past year and could have died. Something had to change ... Hopefully now she can get the help she needs.’
According to a 2010 study by Parity, an equal rights charity, more than 40 per cent of victims of domestic violence are male.
Another survey revealed there had been nearly an 80 per cent increase in reports from male domestic abuse victims between 2012 and 2016.
‘Something had to change’