A LLANDEILO farmer has been found guilty of assault by beating after driving his tractor at speed towards his wife and injuring her arm.

Thomas Evans, 59, of Esgairdawe, Llandeilo was also found guilty of breaching a restraining order and a non-molestation order against his family.

During the two day trial at Llanelli magistrates court Evans’s former wife, Maria Osbourne-Evans, claimed that after the defendant had been allowed access to the farmyard on the afternoon of July 5 to collect sileage, he turned his tractor around and drove it towards her at a high speed.

It hit against her arm, causing bruising. Images of her injuries were shown to the magistrates.

Four months earlier, on March 21 Evans arrived at the farm which his family have owned for the past three generations. 

His wife was removing a dead lamb from the lambing area but despite an order preventing him from coming to within ten metres of Mrs Osbourne-Evans, he drove alongside her, wound down his window and shouted, “I’m in the road.  Smile.”

“Marie was being taunted and felt intimated,” said Crown Prosecutor Nia Sturgess.

“He knew exactly what he was doing.  And when he drove the tractor at her, again she felt frightened and worthless.”

Despite hearing from four Prosecution witnesses and written statements from police officers, Evans declined to give evidence at his trial.  This decision was questioned by Ms Sturgess.

“Mr Evans clearly believes we don’t deserve his version of events,” she said. 

“Why did he drive to within ten metres of her when he wasn’t allowed to? We don’t know.

“Why did he shout at his family? We don’t know.

“And why did he drive his tractor towards her? We don’t know.”

Meanwhile defence solicitor Ms Kathryn Lane accused Maria Osbourne-Evans of ‘over-egging the pudding’.

 “We have to remember there’s a particularly nasty divorce going on here with disputes about money and land ownership,” she said.

“Is there a possibility she deliberately tried to stand in his way?  Who’s gathering evidence? Who has the ulterior motive? “

Following a 15-minute retirement to consider their  verdict, magistrates found him guilty of three charges and not guilty of one of the non-molestation breaches.

Sentencing was adjourned to April 14 for pre-sentence reports and Evans was released on conditional bail.