Helen Tweedy repeatedly attacked her husband Neil during their relationship, a court heard

An abused husband set up a secret camera to film his drunken wife attacking him up because he didn't think police would believe him.

Neil Tweedy, 45, endured up to 12 years of violence at the hands of school teacher spouse Helen, including an assault on their wedding night in which she smothered him with a duvet and forced him to sleep on the sofa.

But for years Mr Tweedy believed his binge-drinking wife, also 45, would change and failed to report the attacks to authorities.

He eventually took action after the couple had a child and she continued with her abusive behaviour towards him.

Unbeknown to his wife, he installed a hidden camera at the couple's £200,000 semi detached in Stretford, Greater Manchester and, for a two-month period, filmed Mrs Tweedy slapping him and swearing at him - once in front of their daughter, now four.

After three incidents, he feared the attacks were escalating and handed over the footage to police.

Mrs Tweedy admitted three charges of common assault by beating at Manchester Magistrates Court and was issued with a restraining order banning her from contacting her husband.

Mr Tweedy eventually set up a secret camera to record the attacks because he didn't think police would believe him. He went to police after fearing the attacks were getting worse

But Mr Tweedy defended his wife's actions outside court, saying: 'Helen is a fantastic and brilliant teacher and gets to work for 7.30am and doesn't leave till 7.30pm. She's just so hard working.

'I don't support the restraining order as it will make access between her and our child difficult.

'We can't be amicable because of the restraining order but if there wasn't one in place then I'm sure we would be.'

He added: 'The problem was just alcohol, she was admitted to hospital twice in the past year and could have died.

'Something had to change. It's not the kind of problem where she wakes up needing alcohol it's just the binge drinking at weekends that's caused this.

'Hopefully now she can get the help she needs.'

The court heard that Helen even beat her husband on their wedding night in 2008

Mr Tweedy set up a camera at the couple's home in Manchester to record the attacks

The court heard how the couple met 16 years ago and appeared to family and friends to be a happy couple.

Prosecuting, Robin Lynch said: 'The complainant is the defendant's husband, they met in 2001 and within a couple of weeks moved into their current home address.

'The first three years were described by the complainant as 'amazing' but the defendant began to drink in private and there sometimes there was some controlling behavior.

'The defendant took over her husband's finances and told him that he had to hand over all of this wages to pay the bills. In 2005 on a family holiday they were with the defendant's parents and she shoved and pushed him and slapped him in the face.

'The complainant said from then on it became a regular thing. There were many happy times but it was not unusual at all for this to happen.

'Despite this, they married in 2008 but that night he was and assaulted and kicked and punched to the head and body.

'She placed a duvet over his head for the assault to continue and he slept on the sofa. They did go on their honeymoon and that was described by the complainant as a good time together but the verbal and physical abuse continued and on occasions he left but would always come back thinking that she would change.'

Mr Tweedy defended his wife after the case, insisting the attacks were due to drink

In mitigation defence lawyer James Street said: 'This is a very sad case indeed - she pleaded guilty when she appeared in court for the first time in her life. Really, all of these problems come from a long-term drinking problem which has lead to significant mental health issues.

'If you are minded not impose an immediate custodial sentence she can work alongside the probation service; it would not be necessary to send this defendant to prison today.'

Magistrates sentenced Tweedy to a 12-month community order with 120 hours' unpaid work and a restraining order for 12 months.