Chesterfield man describes years of “hell” as ex-wife sentenced following attack

Simon Deaton, 44, met Nicole Clarke (formerly Deaton) on Plenty of Fish in 2014 and they married two years later.

He described how Clarke, 41, posed as “the perfect woman” at first, showering his parents with gifts and ‘feeding visiting friends bacon butties’.

However, a few months after their marriage “things changed” as Nicole gained increasing success as a beauty therapist trainer.

The dad-of-two said: “She just wins everybody over – all my mates were like ‘you’ve got a good-un there’

"Then about two-and-a-half years in she started changing and that’s when she just turned into this monster really.”

Simon told how after drinking two or three large glasses she would start arguments with accusations of unfaithfulness and deny all memory of them the morning after.

Dad-of-two Simon described being attacked multiple times by Clarke, accusing him on one occasion of repeatedly punching her - leading to charges which were later withdrawn.

However, he stayed with her for the sake of their two children.

In December last year - following the couple’s separation - Clarke burst into scrap merchant Simon’s Chesterfield home while he was in bed with his new girlfriend.

Chesterfield Magistrates Court heard during a shocking attack she punched Simon and his partner to the head and face multiple times.

She pulled a “clump” of his new partner’s hair extensions out - which require pliers to remove - with such force it left her feeling like she had a “whiplash” injury.

Simon, 6ft 3in and weighing 19st, says he “just took it” as 5ft 2in Clarke delivered the blows.

Clarke, now of Kimbolton Way, Derby, admitted two counts of assault by beating following the attack.

She was handed a two-year restraining order by Chesterfield magistrates on Thursday, June 17 along with a 12-month community order including 120 hours unpaid work.

Sadly Simon described how, due to the stress brought on by the assault and court proceedings which followed, he and his new partner had now parted ways.

Speaking about her sentence Simon said: “I see the fact that she now has a criminal record as justice - so today is a good day because at one point I think she thought she was invincible.”

He said: “It’s a hard situation when you get proper dads who are all for their kids - they don’t want to break their family up.

“Whether you’re a man or a woman, if you have a partner with a drug or alcohol problems it’s very difficult - there needs to be more support out there.”

Since the case was heard in court Simon says other men - including a “semi-professional boxer” have “reached out” to him reporting similar abuse at the hands of their partners.

He said: “There’s more and more men suffering with this kind of stuff - it’s not good.”

A message from Phil Bramley, Derbyshire Times Editor: Support your Derbyshire Times by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Click here to subscribe