A FEARFUL wife criticised a judge after he allowed her violent husband to walk free from court.

Mother-of-two Rebecca Morgan said she fears for her life after husband Philip Collings, 43, received a suspended jail term.

Collings admitted assaulting her and then twice assaulting her 10-year-old daughter at Gloucester Crown Court last Tuesday, October 7.

The court heard how Collings brought a pickaxe handle down on his wife’s hand during a row, breaking two of her fingers.

Five years later he twice slapped her daughter Cleo, now 11, for hitting his own daughter.

Mrs Morgan, of Stroud, alleged that the assaults were part of a pattern of regular domestic abuse and intimidation by Collings during their six year relationship.

She said he forced her to get hooked on heroin like him - and refused to take no for an answer when he decided to marry her three years ago.

Mrs Morgan read an impact statement and later sat in the public gallery shaking her head as Judge Jamie Tabor QC allowed Collings to walk free.

Judge Tabor asked her to come into the witness box again so he could explain his decision but distraught Mrs Morgan repeatedly told him she now fears further violence and even death from her husband.

“If he gets to me again he will kill me - there is no shadow of doubt about that in my mind,” she told the court.

Judge Tabor told her “My powers are limited. I cannot lock him up forever.”

He told her to report any incident to the police immediately.

Collings pleaded guilty to assaulting his wife on October 2, 2009 causing her actual bodily harm.

He also admitted two common assaults on Cleo on 1st and 2nd Feb this year.

Originally he had faced more serious violence charges including causing grievous bodily harm with intent to his wife but the prosecution did not pursue them after he agreed to plead guilty to the three offences on the scheduled day of his trial.

He was sentenced to nine months jail for the assault on his wife and six weeks for each of the assaults on her daughter - a total of 12 months, suspended for two years.

Judge Tabor also placed him under supervision for two years with a condition to attend the ‘building better relationships programme.’

Collings was ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work and the judge made a restraining order for seven years which prevents him contacting her or going near her home or her children’s school.

Prosecutor Julian Kesner had told the court Mrs Morgan was already suffering from post traumatic stress from earlier violence at her pub when she moved away from London to Stroud and met Collings.