A MAN who suffered frostbite after being kicked out of home following a row with his wife over a hot pie has been jailed for assault.

Keith Traill, 52, lived in a shed at Feniscliffe Allotments, Green Lane, Blackburn, in temperatures as low as -9C after being arrested for the offence on Boxing Day.

Hyndburn magistates heard how the offence involved him threatening his wife of four years with a fork, putting her in fear of an assault, because his pie was too hot.

His wife Pauline Thornley, told the court that their 14-year-relationship had been violent for 13 years.

She claimed matters became worse while her husband faced allegations of sexual abuse and said he threatened to kill her if she left.

She also claimed he told her he hoped she would die as she went into surgery and forced her to eat while she was recovering afterwards.

She is now filing for divorce. Traill, formerly of Ermine Close but now of Bolton Road, pleaded guilty to assault.

He denied any previous violence in the relationship.

He was sentenced to 56 days in custody for the offence with 10 days for bail offences to run concurrently, minus 13 days already served.

The court was told that Traill left the house early and came home with a bottle of 20/20 drink.

After becoming very drunk, he told her to make him a meat and potato pie but became angry that it was too hot.

Phillipa White, prosecuting, said: "She says she was beaten up at least once a month, with punches and kicks, particularly when he had been drinking.

"She says she never told her children. He regularly verbally abused her with cruel and sexually explicit comments.

"She says she struggled to eat while recovering from surgery, but her husband would threaten her and tell her to eat faster.

"Except for food shopping, she was not allowed outdoors."

Mrs White added that officers found her "distressed" on the day of the incident, found bits of food across the room and a fork in the middle of the floor.

They said Traill was drunk and refused to hand over a lighter, hidden in his hand.

Pam Baldwin, defending, said Traill, an alcoholic for 25 years, had burned his mouth and lost his temper: "He admits he held a fork close to her face and shouted.

"She has begun divorce proceeding and he has no wish to reconcile either."

Miss Baldwin said Traill had been in custody for two weeks, started detox and receiving medical treatment for on-going frostbite inj-uries in his feet.

She added he had nowhere else to go.

Chairman of the bench Kenneth Nolan said he gave him full credit for his guilty plea and said Traill "clearly had alcohol problems."