A MUM who was looking forward to spending Christmas Day with her children instead spent it in a police cell after drunken lies by her husband about a knife attack.

Marcin Stawecki, of Cunningham Avenue in Wrexham, appeared at Mold Crown Court on Friday.

The 39-year-old admitted that on December 25 last year, he committed an act, or a series of acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice.

Emmalyne Downing, prosecuting, told the court that at around 00.45am on Christmas Day, the defendant contacted North Wales Police to claim his wife had attacked him with a knife.

Police attended and observed seven or eight shallow wounds on his chest.

Mrs Stawecki was arrested, taken into custody and charged with assault.

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She spent the whole of Christmas Day behind bars until her Magistrates Court hearing on Boxing Day - when she was released with conditions not to enter the family home or contact her children.

When police managed to get back in touch with the defendant again, he'd left the UK and taken his children to Poland, but came back and spoke with police on January 10.

Asked if his account of the incident had been correct, he said it was - but then revised his answer to say it hadn't happened.

He said he made the claim as revenge as she'd slapped him and that he didn't realise what would happen.

He didn't mean for her to get arrested, he said.

Mrs Stawecki said in interview that they'd had an argument which led to both of them resorting to physical violence.

Afterwards, the defendant had told her: "I'll stitch you up."

She confirmed that their children being taken to Poland had been agreed.

John Wyn Williams, defending, told the court his client was drunk at the time of the allegations and conceded: "It really does strike at the heart of the criminal justice system, when people make false allegations.

"He at least made admissions after she was incarcerated and has pleaded guilty at the first opportunity."

He told the court the defendant's wife had forgiven him for the act, and that the family unit was back together - with him being a main financial provider.

Mr Wyn Williams asked Judge Rhys Rowlands to consider drawing back from immediate custody - citing alternative sentencing options raised in a pre-sentence report.

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The Leader:

But the Judge told the defendant: "This is a woman looking forward to spending Christmas Day with her young children.

"Instead, she's taken away from them and put in a police cell as a result of wicked lies on your part.

"You'd hurt yourself and lied by way of revenge because she slapped you - it was deliberate, calculated and the lies were reinforced by some sharp implement being used to inflict wounds."

The Judge jailed the defendant for 20 weeks.