Judge who beat wife in row over dinner sacked

James Allen QC was removed from his judicial positions after being given a 12-month supervision order by District Judge Daphne Wickham at Bradford Magistrates’ Court in June.

A spokeswoman for the Office for Judicial Complaints said: “The Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice are of the view that his actions had brought the judiciary into disrepute and have removed Judge Allen from his judicial positions.”

During a trial which ended in June, Allen, 61, claimed his wife, Melanie, inflicted injuries on her own face during an incident at their house in Woolley, Wakefield, on February 20, last year.

Mrs Allen, 44, backed up her husband’s story when she gave evidence in court, saying she had self-harmed in the past. But Mrs Wickham said she did not believe the couple’s account and found Allen guilty of common assault.

Mrs Wickham, who was told the couple were still together, also ordered him to pay £5,000 towards the £5,421 cost of the prosecution, most of which was said to have been spent on expert medical opinion.

The trial, which was spread over a number of days, heard the argument between the couple started after Allen had been away in Scotland for a week with their two children and then spent the Saturday running his family around.

He returned to the family home only to find his wife was preoccupied by the couple’s cleaner, who had come round to talk to Mrs Allen about various problems she was having, including her mother’s recent diagnosis of cancer.

Mr Allen had barely eaten all day, wanted his wife’s attention and was seething with rage as he sat upstairs, listening to her “giggling” with the cleaner.

When the cleaner finally departed Mr Allen made clear his displeasure to his wife, whom the court heard, accused him of being “selfish” and “unreasonable” when he complained he was hungry.

They both told the court the argument became more heated than usual and Mrs Allen described her increasing exasperation and then despair at her husband’s insistence he was leaving.

She claimed she punched herself on the sides of her head, and said she had done something similar on Boxing Day 2009, following another argument. And, she said, she cut her wrist 18 years ago, resulting in a minor injury which was treated in hospital.

But one doctor told the hearing that Mrs Allen’s injuries on February 20 – which included bruises and swelling – were not consistent with self-punching.

Police officers also told the trial Mrs Allen made no mention of harming herself when they called at the house within 15 minutes of receiving a 999 call.

In that emergency call, the caller was recorded saying Allen was “trying to kill” his wife, and in the background the couple could be heard arguing, with a female voice, identified as Mrs Allen, saying: “Look at me, look at what you have done to me, you stupid man.”

Sentencing him, Mrs Wickham said he had reacted to his irritation at his wife having a “female chat” with the cleaner “rather like a sprung coil”.

The district judge added: “I found that you snapped when you felt you were being stopped from leaving.”

She reminded the court that Allen hit his wife at least three times and the attack was “dangerous and unpleasant”.

She told Allen: “The effect of the conviction on you personally and professionally is profound. That is punishment, I’m sure you will think, in itself.”

Allen was called to the bar in 1973 and was made a QC in 1995. He was made a deputy high court judge in 2000.

Mrs Allen is also a trained barrister and sits, using her professional name, Melanie Williamson, as a deputy coroner in the eastern district of West Yorkshire.