Fine for woman who damaged husband’s military medals after abusive message tirade

55-year-old also burnt Parachute Regiment beret 

A Ramsey woman has been fined £850 after burning her husband’s military regalia and damaging his British Army medals.

Sharon Nancy Hotchkiss, of Lezayre Road, destroyed his property between 12 and 15 June after sending him 200 text messages deemed grossly offensive, menacing or obscene.

The 55-year-old admitted both offences at Douglas Courthouse which the prosecutor said stemmed from an ‘unfortunate incident’.

The court heard Hotchkiss had sent the ‘abusive’ messages to her husband – who the court was told she’s in the process of separating from – whilst he was at work on 14 June.

As well as threatening to damage his sentimental items she also threatened to release intimate photographs of him and sent him a picture of a noose.

She proceeded to damage five medals and burnt his beret from the Parachute Regiment – which the prosecutor described as ‘no doubt hard won’ – and a photograph of his battalion.  

Hotchkiss’ advocate told the court the couple had separated last year but were still living in the same house – adding that she was under ‘considerable stress’ due to the ‘difficult circumstances’.

He said she’d been drinking when her behaviour did, he accepted, ‘spiral out of control quite quickly’ adding that she’d ‘struggled to identify a catalyst’ for what happened.

“To her credit Ms Hotchkiss has not tried to downplay, in any way, what happened,” he told the court: “Clearly something has gone wrong for her.”

Magistrates also ordered Hotchkiss to pay prosecution costs of £125; a domestic abuse offence was withdrawn by the prosecution.