'You're a complete f****** spastic': Wife of paralysed stunt rider Eddie Kidd is jailed for beating him as he sat in his wheelchair

Samantha Kidd, 44, admits assaulting wheelchair-bound star last year

Had pleaded not guilty in January but dramatically changed her plea



She had slapped him repeatedly in his chair and called him 'complete spastic'



Eddie Kidd, 54, left paralysed when motorcycle jump went wrong in 1996

Mrs Kidd was jailed for five months and handed a restraining order



Off to jail: Samantha Kidd sprinted into Brighton Magistrates' Court today, where she was jailed for five months for beating her disabled husband Eddie Kidd

The estranged wife of former motor-cycle stunt rider Eddie Kidd has been jailed for five months for beating the severely disabled star.

Samantha Kidd, 44, had pleaded guilty to four counts of assaulting her wheelchair-bound husband, including punching and kicking him, throttling him and calling him ‘a f****** spastic’.

The former James Bond stuntman sustained brain damage in 1996 when a jump went wrong.

He also broke his neck and pelvis.



Mr Kidd, 54, who has three children from previous marriages, has since been unable to talk or walk unaided and requires full-time care.

Mrs Kidd was arrested for domestic violence in December after her husband’s family reported her to police days after the couple split up.

Prosecutor Suzanne Soros said that on one occasion Kidd was left shaking and 'absolutely hysterical' by her actions.

Kidd, of Seaford, East Sussex, dressed in a floral dress, showed no emotion as district judge William Ashworth sentenced her to five months in prison, concurrent on each count, and imposed a restraining order.

Mr Kidd, who was previously married to Hot Gossip dancer Debbie Ash and ex-Stringfellows nightclub waitress Sarah Carr, first met his wife in 1988. They met again at a party in Mayfair in 2004, and have been married for more than five years.

The court heard that the former actress, who once appeared in children’s TV series Byker Grove, assaulted her husband three times at their home in Seaford, East Sussex, and once in Southampton between July and October last year.

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Estranged: Samantha Kidd with husband Eddie in 2011. Mrs Kidd was arrested for domestic violence in December after her husband's family reported her to police days after the couple split up

Sentencing: Samantha Kidd is protected by supporters as she arrived at court in Brighton today

Protected: Two men, described as minders by people at court, accompanied Mrs Kidd today

As she entered court, Kidd covered herself with an umbrella as she was ushered in by several burly minders.



Opening the prosecution case, Ms Soros said: 'The Crown says this was a course of conduct against a man who is suffering with severe disability.'



In one incident, Kidd rained a series of blows on him after she was woken up, according to a witness.

Kidd told him: 'For f***'s sake, Eddie. How do you expect me to sleep?'



Ms Soros said Kidd continued with 'a barrage of abuse and swearing' before launching a quick succession of half a dozen blows to his face and head.



The witness said in a statement that Kidd had appeared to have 'lost the plot' and had to be forced off him.



Ms Soros said that by his demeanour, Eddie Kidd appeared to be 'shaken up' by the incident.



She added: 'He was completely unable to defend himself from the attack from Sam or take any action to protect his face or head.'



On another occasion, Ms Soros said Kidd kicked Mr Kidd in retaliation after a carer had difficulty helping him out of a car and into a wheelchair.



She also slapped his chest and called him a 'f****** spastic', a remark she claimed was what he referred to himself as, the court was told.



Ms Soros said: 'The slap was described by the witness as being very aggressive to Mr Kidd's chest.'

Happier times: Samantha and Eddie Kidd before it emerged they had split in December

In a separate incident, the court heard Kidd slapped Mr Kidd's face in 'retaliation and frustration' at his hand coming off a rail and coming into contact with her.



Ms Soros said: 'In hindsight, she accepts that her view of that had been distorted by her stress and alcohol consumption at the time.'



On another occasion, a witness heard Mr Kidd call out to them, and found Kidd with her hands round the front of his throat.



The witness yelled out: 'What the f*** do you think you're doing?', the court heard.



A struggle ensued and Kidd had to be forced to let go of her estranged husband who was 'absolutely hysterical', Ms Soros said.



Well-known figure: Eddie Kidd raised more than £100,00 for charity when he walked the London Marathon in 2011, left with his wife Samantha and right, with a carer after they split



Alissa Scott-Beckett, defending, said Kidd had no intention of rekindling a relationship with the former stunt rider.



However, she said she would like them to be friends in the future, and that Mr Kidd had sent her text messages asking to meet up, which she had resisted.



Ms Scott-Beckett said Mr Kidd had suffered a 'serious deterioration' in his physical state, leading Kidd to binge drinking.



She added: 'She found herself still loving Mr Kidd but not being able to mentally cope with the stresses that the relationship had.



'She found herself in a coping strategy of excessive alcohol consumption. That is now thankfully under control but that is the way she felt she was able to cope with the situation.'



Ms Scott-Beckett said the situation had been brought about by the 'circumstances of the relationship' and Kidd's inability to cope.



She went on, saying that Kidd - who has no previous convictions - herself had been a victim in what was a 'volatile and difficult' relationship but that she accepted responsibility for the offences.



Brave: Stunt motorcycle rider Eddie Kidd jumping five cars in his heyday before he was left paralysed Action man: In his prime Eddie Kidd was one of the most famous stunt riders in the world until he suffered serious head and pelvic injuries after a failed stunt jump in 1996 which left him unable to walk

Since she had entered her pleas, Kidd has been abused and assaulted in the street which had exacerbated mental health concerns, Ms Scott-Beckett said.



She added: 'Mrs Kidd has suffered from considerable mental anguish. She apologises profusely to any mental stress this has caused him.'



After sentence was passed, Ms Scott-Beckett asked for Kidd to be freed on bail pending the outcome of an appeal.



But district judge Ashworth said: 'I have agonised about this sentence and bail is not appropriate.'

The judge said Kidd had committed an 'abuse of trust and power'.



And he said: 'These four assaults on Eddie Kidd represent a pattern of violent behaviour towards your husband which, taken together, are in the highest bracket for sentencing guidelines because your husband was particularly vulnerable and due to the repeated assaults on a disabled person.'

