Supreme Court Trial Begins for Elizabeth Mitchell Accused of Wounding Former Husband with Intent

Ormond Mitchell told a jury in Supreme Court No. 2A that early one morning five years ago, his wife woke him with several slaps about his face with the side of a knife, before almost slicing off his finger.

That was part of his testimony as the trial of his now ex-wife, Elizabeth Mitchell, began on Tuesday.

The 40-year-old woman from Lower Newbury, St George, pleaded not guilty to wounding her former husband with intent to do him serious bodily harm or to maim, disfigure or disable him on March 3, 2018. She also denied the lesser charge of unlawfully and maliciously wounding him on the same date.

Painting a picture of constant arguments and fights, complainant Mitchell said their marriage was on the rocks and ending when the incident took place.

He recalled that on the night before the incident, he picked up his wife from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital after she had received treatment for a health condition. On returning home, he went to bed. The couple’s two children were asleep in another room.

Around 2 a.m., he awoke with his spouse in front of him, hitting him in the face with a knife. She told him she had gone through his phone and then lunged at him with the knife. He blocked her, but when she stabbed at him again, his little finger was “almost severed”. He managed to push her out of the bedroom before calling the police.

During cross-examination by his ex-wife who is representing herself in the matter, Mitchell said he was aware that the hospital would give her medication for her health issues, including morphine.

Agreeing that morphine made her drowsy, he said he was unaware of whether she had received that medication and disagreed that medication would affect her judgement.

He also expressed his belief that the hospital would not have discharged her if she was drowsy or on “any high dose of medication”.

When asked why he did not tell the police his face was sore after being struck with the knife, he stated that he told the police everything he could at that time, including that he had received hits to his face with a knife.

State Counsel Tito Holder is prosecuting the matter. Justice Elwood Watts is presiding.