Would You Intervene?

[ladybirder]

Charles Saatchi has got his wife, Nigella Lawson by the throat in a restaurant in London. Criticism is being levelled at onlookers who didn't intervene. Would you intervene between man and wife in this situation?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nigella-lawson-attacked-husband-see-1955564

[bibblebub]

Under what circumstances does he have the right to put his hands on her neck?

[Tilly2]

What I don't understand is why she didn't pick something up off the table and smack him over the head with it. I'm sure I would have done if someone had done that to me.

[ELVIS68]

Whether she's had an affair or not, still doesn't give him the right to grab her by the throat

[ummmm]

None.

But just because he's done it doesn't mean he has always done it. She's packed her bag and left so that suggests that this type of behaviour is unacceptable to her (or most right minded people)

[Mosaic]

If I saw a man getting hold of a woman in this way, and if she had the looks on her face seen in these photos, I would ask her if she was alright. I might also tell whoever is in charge of the building their in what was apparently going on.
Can't tell from the photos but it looks like the table wasn't very visible to other diners - only the paps and their telephoto lenses
And there's that London thing of not looking, speaking etc
The man must be a horse's bottom to act like that.

[jno]

ummmm, I'm not sure now about the packing and leaving. It seems all this happened a week before the photos were published, so she'd stayed with him in themeantime. He says she's only left now so she and the kids can avoid all the paparazzi outside the house. On the face of it, this could be correct.

[ummmm]

That's probably true. I've only really read about it on here and the little that has been on the news.

[ladybirder]

Sqad, - she may have been having an affair?? Do you know more about this than you are letting on LOL?

[jno]

I first thought she'd walked out next day, but apparently not.

I'm not in the habit of grabbing my OH by the neck, and I'd hardly call it playful if they were arguing, but it's a bit of a jump to assume he was literally trying to throttle her. We just don't know what happens inside people's marriages.

[Sqad]

Lady........;-)

[RATTER15]

Even if a woman is caught having an affair, there is no need to catch her hold by the throat, certainly not in my book anyway!

[sara3]

there are suggestions that this isn't his first display of such behaviour, but now the world has seen it she's probably feels humiliated (on top of everything else), and had to take some action.

[emmie]

looks pretty serious to me

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nigella-lawson-photos-charles-saatchi-1959299

[RATTER15]

I hope she never see's him again apart from in the divorce courts!

[LazyGun]

Reports suggest that Lawson has left the marital home - this has been confirmed by a PR spokesman.

Saatchi has accepted a police caution for the action. I am never quite sure what a caution represents in these circumstances, though. As best as I can interpret these things, a caution represents an acknowledgement that the assault happened, but that proving the severity of assault would rest upon a court case and - what? - a complaint from Lawson herself? And a caution will not necessarily give Saatchi a criminal record as such - so to me, it seems a cop-out for Saatchi. Would this interpretation be right?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jun/18/saatchi-lawson-police-caution-assault

[ladybirder]

I don't know whether your interpretation of the law is right or not LG.

I would like to hear what Nigella has to say about the incident.To me, it speaks volumes that she hasn't confirmed her husband's version of events. Or perhaps a dignified silence is the best option but her not backing him does sort of leave him out on a limb.

[emmie]

seems that this isn't the first time he has behaved this way, nor indeed with just her, the first wife said he had a very volatile temper, and was controlling, she would be better off out of there if that's the case.