Campaigner for Battered Women ... Batters Husband

Lib Dem campaigner for battered women beat up her Tory husband after suspecting he was having an affair

Anyone who has taken the time to surf through Men's Rights blogs will not be surprised to find that a feminist has acted violently towards a man. Feminists are, arguably, the most violent people in the world.

I don't find the party allegiances of this couple to be all that interesting; yes, he is a Conservative and she is a Liberal Democrat (the two parties are ruling together in a Coalition government, for those outside the UK). But that's not really that relevant.

A Liberal Democrat councillor who campaigns for battered women beat up her Conservative husband when their own coalition turned sour, a court heard.

Christine James, 51, suspected husband Ian was having an affair with former mayoress Alison Cocks.

After having a row with him, grandmother James followed her husband to Miss Cocks' home where she let herself in and started 'screaming like banshee'.

The mother-of-five called Mr James a 'b*****d' and rained down several blows on him before storming out.

Mr James, who owns a cafe, was left with red marks around the chin and throat from the attack.

Ms. James, a domestic violence campaigner, has no doubt lectured rooms full of men that they must never, under any circumstance, ever, hit a woman, no matter what she has done, and especially not if she has had an affair (indeed, some people have advocated that even suspecting your partner of cheating is a form of domestic violence, and that legislation should reflect this).

But then, going on the suspicion that her own husband has been unfaithful, suddenly it became absolutely reasonable and appropriate for Ms. James to respond with violence.

And in doing so, Ms. James shifts from being a campaigner against domestic violence, to being a domestic violence exemplar.

A role model for violent women the world over.

Chairman of the bench Valerie Brinton gave James an 18-month conditional discharge.

She said: 'Violence in domestic circumstances is viewed particularly seriously by the court.'

James was also ordered to pay £200 costs.

There seems to be a remarkable degree of cognitive dissonance here. If domestic violence truly was viewed particularly seriously by the court, why was Ms. James made to pay a paltry £200, and spared jail?

Oh, that's right - because domestic violence is only viewed particularly seriously when men do it.

Thanks, in part, to the work of women like Ms. James.

Who can get any man they please banged up in prison any time they like, but remain free to dish out the abuse themselves - receiving only a slap on the wrist and a miniscule fine.

Above: Ian James, domestic violence victim, with Christine James, domestic violence perpetrator