Bargain Hunt star Charles Hanson told police officers that an alleged headlock he held his pregnant wife in was a "loving hug", a court heard. The jury at Derby Crown Court was told the TV presenter, 46, claimed during a police interview that his wife, Rebecca Hanson, was a “fantasist” who “can exaggerate things”. The auctioneer was charged with controlling or coercive behaviour, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assault by beating after he was arrested from his home on June 14, 2023.
Hanson's wife told the jury he was violent against her throughout 10 years, with the first incident happening in 2012 when he allegedly held her in a headlock during an argument while she was pregnant. Hanson's interview with the police, which happened at a Derby police station on June 15 2023, the day after his arrest, was read to the court.
Hanson told police Mrs Hanson "completely went wild" during their alleged argument and he was trying to be "warm and lovely" when he gave her a hug. Prosecutor Stephen Kemp read out his interview. Hanson had said his wife "had a massive bender, just completely went wild.".
The presenter said in the interview: "She has these now and again. I said ‘everything is OK, come here love, give us a big squeeze’. I held her really tight. She took it the wrong way. I think at the time Rebecca took offence. Rebecca can be a fantasist, she can exaggerate things, everything is exaggerated beyond reasonable belief – I believe that is the case with this hug.
“I squeezed her in a loving way, it was not forceful. It was not me going over forcibly, it was a hug. I squeezed her into me and that’s what it was. It was not aggressive, it was not a grab, just focused on being warm and lovely. There was a lot of pressure I think on the pregnancy. She’s a very depressive person, not happy in life.
“For the past sort of six weeks she has been really abusive to me. Everything has been so coercive. I was in tears last weekend – I said I can’t cope with this, Rebecca is so abusive. I’m trying to cope but she has just changed. I think mentally she’s not well.” Hanson told police in the interview his wife had a tendency for "meltdowns" and also had "mood swings".
It is alleged Hanson pushed Mrs Hanson twice in their bedroom after she swore at him on May 1 2023. The jury heard he told police she was "waving her arms around" and he only gave her a "tiny prod". He said in the police interview: "We both went upstairs and she just shouted out f*** you, f*** you, f*** you.
“I said ‘you can’t say that’ and very gently put my hand on her shoulder. She’s up in bed waving her arms around in some crazy way. It was a tiny prod on the shoulder. I did not push her back on the bed, I said ‘stop it’ and walked out. Rebecca gets more upset I think by raised voices.”.
Mrs Hanson told the jury her husband "threatened to put burning embers from the fire" on her during an incident in May 2021. Hanson told the police he "never said that" when asked by the police about it, the court heard. He claimed to police: “I’m not a violent guy, I’m not someone who can’t control my anger. What you are being told is factually far from the case and that upsets me a lot. She can very much blow things way out of proportion. I cannot remember those incidents because I don’t think they are true.”.
Mrs Hanson sent her husband a text message in May 2023 telling him no to "chuck your wife around", with him answering with: "I won't ever again." When asked at a second police interview why he responded to the message that way, the jury was told he said: "I think it is just, again, in response to keeping the peace with her. I have never chucked my wife around ever.”.
