Ex-Olympian's wife 'feared he would kill her'

Ex-Olympian's wife 'feared he would kill her'7 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GooglePA MediaThe former athlete denies all the chargesThe GP wife of a former Olympic athlete feared she was "going to end up dead" if she did not leave their marriage, a jury has heard.Curtis Robb, 54, is alleged to have repeatedly or continuously engaged in controlling and coercive behaviour towards Sarah Robb between December 2015 and August 2023.Robb, who competed for Great Britain in the 800 metres at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games and went on to become a surgeon, is said to have assaulted and threatened her, called her names and subjected her to "constant criticism".On trial at Chester Crown Court, he denies all the charges against him. Prosecutor Paulinus Barnes told jurors the couple, who were both medical professionals, had been together for more than 22 years and had three children.He added: "On the surface they seemed like a happy and successful couple, but there was a dark side to their relationship."Over many, many years, Curtis Robb was not only cruel to his wife, he was also physically violent."Matters came to a head during a family holiday in Easter 2023 in the Lake District, and in October of that year Sarah Robb finally told the police what had been happening to her."Following an argument in their room, the court heard, Ms Robb said the defendant held a pillow over her face in an "unprovoked attack".The prosecutor added: "She does not know how long he held it there, but she remembers that she was starting to feel like she couldn't breathe."After that incident, she said the penny dropped, and she later told police 'It was rock bottom because I knew then I had to leave, if I didn't leave I was going to end up dead'."Robb, of Northwich, Cheshire, denies controlling and coercive behaviour and also suffocation.Barnes said Ms Robb described to police a history assaults...