Police officer says wife fell after evasive action

Huw Orphan, 31, denies causing grievous bodily harm with intent in the trial at Cardiff Crown Court

A police officer has denied deliberately kicking his wife down the stairs, saying he instead took "evasive action" as she tried to trip him up.

Huw Orphan, 31, from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, was married to fellow officer Amy Burley when the alleged attack happened in April 2020.

Mr Orphan told his trial at Cardiff Crown Court he accidentally caught her when jumping “to the top of the stairs” after she “swiped” at his legs following an argument.

She sustained a fracture to her back and Mr Orphan denies causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Mr Orphan told the court he was working late on the night of 7 April 2020, when the couple started rowing over a text message about what Ms Burley would have for dinner.

He described her messages as a “torrent of abuse”, saying she was “seething”, and that they continued arguing when he got home.

He said he started going up the stairs and that she “started following right behind me”.

“Amy grabbed my leg and caused me to stumble,” he said, adding that he was able to balance himself on the bannister.

He told the court that, as he tried to go even further up the stairs, she swiped his leg again.

He said he took “evasive action” and “jumped as high as I could” to reach the top of the stairs.

It was then he “made contact with her waist” and she fell to the bottom of the stairs, he said.

Asked if he intended to kick her, he said: “Not at all.”

Ieuan Bennett, for the prosecution, accused Mr Orphan of losing his temper, and kicking Ms Burley “so she flew backwards and fell down the stairs”.

Mr Orphan denied this, saying: “No, not at all.”

Asked if he was making things up, he said: “No, that’s the truth of what happened.”

The couple met in 2017, when they were both working for Gwent Police.

They moved in together in Newport in 2019, and were married in July that year.

They had a baby, who was born prematurely in December 2019, and Ms Burley had two other children from a previous relationship.

'Rammed door into my back'

Giving evidence in his trial, Mr Oprhan was also asked about a row in January 2020, about sterilising their baby’s bottle.

He said that, after the argument, he had gone to walk out of the house, when Ms Burley “rammed the door into my back”.

It was then he performed what he described as a “controlled takedown”, which he had learned through his work as a police officer.

The prosecution accused Mr Orphan of losing his temper and throwing his wife to the floor, which he denied.

Mr Orphan was also questioned about a claim previously made by Ms Burley that, when taking her to hospital for her injuries, he told her to lie about what had happened "otherwise you would stop her seeing her children”.

“No, that didn’t happen,” Mr Orphan said.

The trial continues.