North Sea oil worker beat his cheating wife after finding Valentine's photo meant for her lover and realising she had blown his £75,000-a-year tax-free salary

She posted photo in underwear with caption: 'Thank you for buying it'

But he'd never seen it and knew message was intended for another lover

Refused to go on nights out off rig as he wanted to save cash for children

Wife ran up £30,000 debts and used his personal details for payday loans



Also spent some of the money going on weekends to London and Paris

A North Sea oil worker attacked his wife and wrecked their home after he returned from a rig to find she had spent all his money having affairs with other men.

The 43-year-old man realised his six-year marriage was over when his wife posted a Valentine’s Day picture of herself on Facebook posing in skimpy underwear and the caption ‘Thank you for buying it’.

The senior fitter - who cannot be identified for legal reasons - had never seen the garments before and knew the message was intended for another lover, Exeter Crown Court in Devon heard.

Sentencing: Exeter Crown Court (pictured) in Devon was told the man left all his £75,000-a-year tax-free salary in the hands of his 33-year-old wife but discovered she had spent it all and run up £30,000 debts in his name

He was such a devoted family man that he refused to join workmates when they went for nights out in Aberdeen because he wanted to save all his money to spend on his four children.

He left all his £75,000-a-year tax-free salary in the hands of his 33-year-old wife but discovered she had spent it all and run up £30,000 debts in his name.

She even used his personal details to get payday loans with Wonga and spent some of the money going on weekends to London and Paris with other men, the court heard.

The man left his wife with serious bruising on the face and body after he confronted her over texts on her phone after returning to his home from a month-long tour of duty in the North Sea.

She fled through a window and hid while he wrecked the house, smashing furniture and doors. He admitted causing actual bodily harm but was found not guilty of raping her during the same incident.

The man was jailed for three months, suspended for two years, by Judge Phillip Wassall, who told him that the verdict of the jury suggested they did not believe he started the violence.

Employment: The man worked at a North Sea oil rig (file picture) but returned to find his wife had spent all his money having affairs with other men

Cash: The wife even used his personal details to get payday loans with Wonga (pictured), the court heard

The rigger told the court his wife’s allegation of rape had wrecked his life. He spent two weeks in custody after his arrest, his house has been repossessed to pay off the debts, and he has no idea where his ex-wife and four children are living because he has not seen them since.

'I saw a message on Facebook on Valentine’s Day of her in underwear which said "thank you for buying it for me". I knew I had not bought it. When you are thousands of miles away from anywhere and get a message like that, it plays on your mind'



His wife claimed he started having sex with her at the end of an emotional three-hour conversation in which she told him their marriage was over.

She said she told him to stop him but he carried on until she managed to push him off her. She said he had seized her phone and kicked and punched her after she grabbed his testicles to make him release it.

She said she was kicked and punched on the living room floor and fled through a window before seeking sanctuary at a neighbour’s house.

The man said his wife had a string of affairs with other men and ran up debts in his name without his knowledge.

He said: ‘I saw a message on Facebook on Valentine’s Day of her in underwear which said "thank you for buying it for me". I knew I had not bought it.

Trips: She spent some of the money going on weekends to London and Paris with other men, the court heard



‘When you are thousands of miles away from anywhere and get a message like that, it plays on your mind. I learned she was going up and down to London and over to France.

‘There was only one wage coming in and that was mine. I left all the family finances to her and thought they were good because I had a great job.

‘Then I started getting text messages from Wonga and I found out I had debts of £30,000 and the mortgage was not paid and my house has been repossessed. The mortgage had been increased to £140,000 without my knowing.’

He said during the final encounter his wife had agreed to sex but after 30 seconds had said ‘no, this is wrong’ and he stopped immediately.

A friend of his wife told the jury she met her the next day and she said it had ‘been more like an emotional rape’ than anything else.