Refuge Comment on the Sentencing of Colin Read

Colin Read, 25, walked free from court with a £2,000 fine after being found guilty of branding his wife, Elizabeth Axe, with an iron and slashing her leg with a knife. The management consultant was spared a jail term by Recorder William Featherby at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, August 20 – despite being found guilty of three counts of actual bodily harm.

Recorder Featherby claimed that a community sentence was not appropriate because Read was too busy with his £90,000-a-year job. He also judged that “special circumstances” in the marriage made it unlikely that he would re-offend.

Sandra Horley OBE, Chief Executive of Refuge, said:

“Elizabeth Axe has been through an ordeal no woman should have to endure . She had the courage to come forward and go through with a trial, despite the fact that she was terrified of her husband. She believed that the law would punish his awful crimes and keep her safe.

“Domestic violence is a serious crime that destroys lives, killing two women in England and Wales every week. We share Elizabeth’s disappointment – a fine is not an adequate sentence for this abhorrent crime. Refuge urges the judiciary to recognise the severity of this crime and to give fitting punishment.”

For a full report on the case click here