Dad of three doused partner in petrol and set her on fire after discovering she was having an affair
Twisted Andrew Braithwaite locked front and back doors and removed fuses from smoke alarms before torching home
A JEALOUS dad of three set the mother of his children on fire after discovering she was having an affair with another man.
Catherine Wilcock suffered “life-changing” burns when Andrew Braithwaite doused her in petrol and torched their home in Haydock, Merseyside.
The 51-year-old locked front and back doors and removed the fuses from smoke and burglar alarms before setting their house alight.
His victim wore a protective face mask at Liverpool Crown Court as Braithwaite was jailed for 16 years after admitting attempted murder.
Judge Alan Conrad, QC, said: “When you were gripped by anger and jealousy you formed a plan to kill her and you set about it in a determined way.
“You attacked her and tried to suffocate her, and you set her on fire. This was a wicked assault.”
The court heard how a postwoman called at the couple’s home in Johns Avenue at around 1.45pm on February 11 this year.
Anya Horwood, prosecuting, said she could hear dogs barking and saw thick smoke coming from an air vent.
She heard a woman screaming inside but nobody answered the door despite her banging.
She rang firefighters who smashed a window and the front door with a sledgehammer to gain entry and found the injured couple on the stairs.
Braithwaite claimed he had been cleaning skirting boards with white spirit and had a cigarette that accidentally sparked the blaze.
But that was ruled out by fire investigators who found he poured and ignited flammable liquids on the floor and his partner.
They discovered he tried to disable burglar and smoke alarms but they were wired to the mains supply and had back-up batteries.
The court heard their son and two daughters were unaware of the breakdown of their relationship and the fact they were separated but still living under the same roof.
When Braithwaite found out about the other man he fitted a tracking device to Catherine’s mobile phone, installed a programme that allowed him to view her messages and set up CCTV covering the property.
Horwood said the other man sent her texts “sexual in nature” earlier that day and Braithwaite was then seen going to the garden shed.
He returned and grabbed Catherine, putting a tea towel round her mouth and neck, and said: “You’re going”.
Horwood went on: “She said, ‘What about the kids?’ She next recalled she was on the stairs hearing banging at the front door and imploring the defendant to tell the children that she loved them. She believed she was going to die.”
Catherine suffered 33 per cent burns to her face, neck, chest, both arms, hands, feet and left leg.
She was on life-support for 19 days and doctors believed she might die, later operating on her burned off eyelids.
The victim has undergone multiple skin grafts, may need to wear a face mask for two years, has nerve damage to her hands and feet, and is in constant pain.
She had to relearn how to walk, talk and eat again and is unlikely to be able to work again.
Charles Lander, defending, said Braithwaite was consumed by “guilt-ridden remorse”.
He said: “He knows nothing I say on his behalf will take away the hatred that Miss Wilcock has for him.
“He hates himself for what he has done and how he’s ruined their life and the lives of their children.
“He now only wishes it was him who suffered her physical and psychological injuries.”
Judge Conrad said Braithwaite caused his victim “terrible” injuries and she suffered “serious and long term physical and psychological harm”.
He said it was believed he remained a danger to Miss Wilcock, but the prison sentence “will protect her for some considerable time”.
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