BARGAIN Hunt star Charles Hanson told cops a headlock he allegedly put his pregnant wife in was a “loving hug”, a court heard.
The antiques expert, 45, is accused of assaulting his wife Rebecca every six months over a ten-year abuse campaign.
Charles Hanson is accused of assaulting his wife[/caption]
He allegedly put wife Rebecca in a headlock[/caption]
This included throwing a phone at her and grabbing Rebecca’s arm so tightly he left fingerprint bruises, it is said.
Hanson also allegedly put Rebecca in a headlock in 2012 while she was pregnant with a child she tragically later lost.
Derby Crown Court heard that following his arrest, Hanson claimed he was being “warm and lovely” and had actually given her a hug.
He told police: “Rebecca can be a fantasist, she can exaggerate things, everything is exaggerated beyond reasonable belief – I believe that is the case with this hug.
“I squeezed her in a loving way, it was not forceful. It was not me going over forcibly, it was a hug.”
Hanson also claimed he told his wife “come here love, give us a big squeeze” before holding her “really tight”.
He told officers she “took it the wrong way” and claimed that Rebecca was the “abusive” one.
Hanson added: “I’m trying to cope but she has just changed. I think mentally she’s not well.”
Her later continued: “I’m not a violent guy, I’m not someone who can’t control my anger. What you are being told is factually far from the case and that upsets me a lot.
“She can very much blow things way out of proportion. I cannot remember those incidents because I don’t think they are true.”
Rebecca previously told jurors how the alleged attack unfolded when she threw a “tiny” box on the floor of their kitchen.
She said her husband “just went for me” and “got me around the throat” – leaving her “absolutely petrified”.
Rebecca added: “I was frozen, paralysed with fear.
“He was shocked at what he had done, there was no explanation, I could not believe what he had done.”
Rebecca also told the jury there were around 14 or 15″ different incidents involving arguments or violence during their marriage.
She claimed there was another occasion in May 2021 when her husband “threatened to put burning embers from the fire” on her.
The court heard previously how Hanson, who also appears on Flog It! and Antiques Road Trip, married wife Rebecca in 2010 – two years after they first met.
Stephen Kemp, prosecuting, said the marriage “started off happily” but the auctioneer began “using violence against his wife”.
This pattern of violence continued every six months over the “next ten years or so”, it was said.
Hanson is charged with two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm and one of controlling and coercive behaviour.
The TV star, who denies the charges, is also accused of two counts of assault by beating.
Hanson’s career started in the ceramics and glass department at Christie’s in 1999.
He appeared on Bargain Hunt in 2002 and became the youngest expert on the team aged 25.
The trial continues.
The auctioneer told police that Rebecca was abusive[/caption]
