Bargain Hunt and Flog It! star Charles Hanson, who denies all charges against him, is on trial at Derby Crown Court having been accused of assaulting his wife, Rebecca
Bargain Hunt star Charles Hanson left his estranged wife “tired of being scared”, a court heard.
The 46-year-old TV star, famed as an expert on the BBC One show, has been charged with controlling and coercive behaviour and assaulting his ex-partner Rebecca Hanson – he has denied the charges.
Hanson, a TV auctioneer who also appeared on Antiques Road Trip, was arrested in June 2023 after police were called to a Derbyshire property following reports of a domestic incident. He has been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm between May 13 and 17 2020, and engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour between May 2015 and June 2023.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges, which relate to his wife, at a court hearing in February 2024. He appeared at Derby Crown Court on Monday (February 10) to stand trial in relation to the assault allegations.
Hanson was previously released on bail on the conditions that he does not contact his wife, whom he’s been married to since 2010, stays at his parent’s address and does not visit the family home in Derbyshire.
Stephen Kemp, prosecuting, told the court how Rebecca Hanson said she was “tired of being scared” of Hanson in a message to her mother. She claimed in the messages that Charles had, on two occasions, pushed her “forcefully” and knocked her backwards.
He told the court, according to Derbyshire Live: “On the 1st May 2023, the Hansons were arguing. Rebecca Hanson thinks she was ill and Mrs Hanson says she swore at him from her bedroom twice when he was in the next room.
“Mr Hanson then came into the bedroom and pushed her. She had to put her hands up to defend herself from him and he pushed her again. It is only when she threatened to call the police that he walked away.
On that same day, Rebecca messaged her mother saying: ‘Need some help, this evening Charles pushed me forcefully with both hands to my shoulders twice knocking me backwards. He’s never done that before’. And ‘I’m tired of being scared of him. I’m around tomorrow’.”
Kemp also told the jury that Hanson’s marriage “started off happily” but things began to change and Charles began to “use violence against his wife”. He claims the first incident of violence took place around 2012 and that Rebecca estimates that he would be violent towards her “every six months or so”.
He said: “The violence was never such that she ever felt that she needed to seek medical attention, She is not alleging she ever suffered any broken bones or the like. Rather, it would usually take the form of Mr Hanson grabbing hold of her and doing so with sufficient force so as to often leave marks on her”.
He told the court that Rebecca confided in her mother and in Charles’ mother about the alleged abuse. Kemp said: “By early 2023, Rebecca had reached the stage where she felt she had to leave Mr Hanson and she told her Gillian Hanson this. Gillian Hanson suggested that they go to marriage counselling. Rebecca agreed and arranged for them both to be seen by a counsellor at Relate initially, on the 18th of May 2023. Both of them went and spoke with the counsellor. It was after this that the police became involved.
“The Prosecution allege that, in addition to specific occasions when Mr Hanson assaulted his wife, his behaviour was such that it amounted to controlling and coercive behaviour. It was behaviour which was such that it had a serious effect on her because it caused her to fear, on a number of occasions, that Mr Hanson would use violence against her. The prosecution say that Mr Hanson knew or, at the very least he ought to have known, that his behaviour towards his wife would have this effect.”
The court also heard how the couple got close to breaking up and that Charles sent Rebecca a message telling her wanted them to stay together. It’s alleged Rebecca told him “Then don’t chuck your wife around.”
Mr Kemp said: “It is clear that by May 2023 there is talk about Rebecca and Charles Hanson breaking up. On the 11th of May 2023, Charles Hanson sent Rebecca a message saying: ‘Sorry. I just don’t want us to break up.’ to which Rebecca replied: ‘Then don’t chuck your wife around.’
Mr Hanson’s reply to that was: ‘I won’t ever again’. Again on the 23rd of May 2023, Rebecca sent this message to her husband saying: ‘You don’t get it, I’m fed up with you grabbing me. I’ve had enough.” Charles replied saying: ‘Just see if I can change one last time and I will start from now’.
“A couple of days later, on the 25th of May 2023, Charles Hanson messaged his wife asking her for a chance to show that he is a good man. Her reply was: ‘If you think your behaviour is a good man you are wrong’.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
