An Emmerdale writer has been told by ITV he will no longer be working for the soap after he appeared in court after assaulting his girlfriend
An Emmerdale writer who appeared in court after assaulting his girlfriend has been told by ITV he’ll no longer be writing for the popular soap.
The soap has recently highlighted the issue of domestic abuse, with a spokesperson for the show saying that the team was “shocked and appalled” to hear about the case involving Martin Fustes, which was heard at Hull Crown Court.
The terrified victim feared that she was going to die during a late-night argument and he started suffocating her by putting his hands over her mouth and nose. The court heard that Fustes told her that he wanted to kill her and chop up her face. He told her that he wished that she could be hanging from a tree after being set alight.
The 47-year-old admitted assaulting the woman, causing actual bodily harm, and an offence of intentional suffocation on January 27. Samantha Laws, prosecuting, said that the couple had been together for about 13 years at the time and were living together with their children in Beverley.
Samantha said that he was “repeatedly shoving and pushing her back to the bed” and “she attempted to escape. He placed his hands over her mouth and nose and stopped her ability to breathe. She could see stars.”
She said: “She was able to escape through the front door of the house. She began to run to the local police station but he quickly caught up with her and pleaded with her to return. She did return home.”
There was further abuse and arguing until Fustes allowed her to go to sleep at about 3am. The woman claimed in court that the incident was the result of more than ten years of abuse. She was “distraught and sickened” by the verbal abuse she faced, HullLive reported.
She said of the suffocation: “I thought I was going to die. I had no other option but to escape and run down the street.
“I struggle to feel safe in my home. I can’t help but relive the incident, often as nightmares. The disruption he has caused in our lives has been significant. I started to feel relieved to be free of often daily abuse.”
Fustes was given a two-year suspended prison sentence, 150 hours’ unpaid work, 15 days’ rehabilitation and a 26-session probation service domestic abuse programme. He was ordered to pay £2,000 compensation and £150 costs and he was given a ten-year restraining order.
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