Wife of former Olympic athlete was 'consumed by absolute fear' during 'abusive' marriage, court hears

By JAMES TOZER, NORTHERN CORRESPONDENT and ANDY RUSSELL Published: 13:51, 9 June 2026 | Updated: 13:54, 9 June 2026 The wife of former Olympic runner Curtis Robb said she was 'consumed by absolute fear' during their marriage, a court heard yesterday. He used his strength as an ex-athlete to punch her with 'full on power' during a 'brutal' row which culminated in him allegedly attempting to suffocate her with a pillow, she alleged. After years of alleged abuse it made her realise that she was 'going to end up dead' if she didn't leave him, the court heard.  Robb, now 54, competed in the 800m for Team GB at the Barcelona and Atlanta Games in the 1990s before qualifying as a surgeon. He is on trial accused of subjecting his GP wife Sarah to years of 'cruel' behaviour.  Now known as Sarah Caddy, the mother of his three children claims she was 'intimidated, bullied, harassed and controlled in the home' during their 16 year marriage. 'There was intense pressure all the time,' she said in a police interview played to a jury today.  'I could not eat and I was having nightmares. Curtis Robb, 54, (pictured arriving at court) is accused of eight years of controlling and coercive behaviour against his wife and suffocating during a family holiday in the Lake District Curtis Robb (pictured running for Team GB at the 1995 World Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden) competed at two Olympics 'I felt like I was on the top of a cliff but I could not jump.' Robb denies controlling and coercive behaviour and one charge of trying to suffocate his wife during an Easter holiday in 2023. That alleged incident - described by prosecutors as the 'final straw' - saw her hit 'rock bottom', Chester Crown Court heard today. 'It was an unprovoked attack,' she told police.  'It was very brutal and I thought I was going to die.  'There was absolute clarity at that point that everything I had been through was not my fault. I thought I would end up dead. 'I had always stayed for the children.  'I did not want them to come from a broken home and have the impact of what I had been through. I thought I could manage. Curtis Robb pictured at the World Athletics Championships in Stuttgart in 1993 'But that was the point where I thought: "I cannot do this".  'My mind and body had shut down and I could not look at him.  'I knew I had to do something. I had never told anyone but I knew it was wrong.  Ms Caddy said that during the alleged attack with a pillow, Robb also punched her four or five times in the arm. 'I was frozen and terrified,' she told police.  'He is an orthopaedic surgeon for a living.  'He is using strength, he is an ex-athlete and he is a strong person.  Ms Caddy said that she had often Googled 'domestic violence' and 'what happens when you call the police.' She also said she had kept a notebook of incidents and described her husband as 'a Jekyll and Hyde figure.' 'He was always criticising me and pointing the finger.  'I did not know what had got me into the bad books.  'I am a happy, positive person but he made me feel negative. 'I asked myself why I married him when he was so horrible to me.  'But I had wanted to get married and have children. I learned not to show my emotions. 'But I was constantly on edge and constantly in fear.' The court has heard that the prosecution claim that Robb had told his wife that she was 'neurotic' and 'a manipulative b***h'.   A former British champion, Robb's best Olympics result was in Barcelona in 1992, where he finished sixth in the 800m final. In 1996 he was back competing at the Olympics, but was eliminated in the semi-final, later qualifying as a doctor.  Robb was interviewed about the allegations after his wife went to police and denied being controlling or coercive. He claimed that she had been the threatening and controlling one, never letting him take the children out on his own. Robb accepted he had thrown a pillow at his wife but denied holding it over her face and suffocating her. Robb, of Northwich, Cheshire, denies one charge of controlling and coercive behaviour and one charge of suffocation. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.