A WOMAN’S affair with a married man ended with him assaulting her as they spent the night together at her home, a court was told.

Dental surgeon Elisabeth Williams, whose practice is in Folkestone, was attacked by 59-year-old Richard Marchant as they were going to bed after an evening out at a restaurant.

Mrs Williams, also known as Van der Lieg, told how Marchant punched her in the head at her home in Hythe, grabbed her by the throat and threatened to kill her.

Marchant denied assault causing actual bodily harm, but was convicted by a jury.

Adjourning sentence until June 29 for reports, Recorder Heather Baucher said: "This was a sustained assault on the victim. It is serious and all options are open."

Mrs Williams told how she had an "on-off" relationship with Marchant 20 years ago.

It resumed in 2000 and then again about three years ago. She had separated from her husband and Marchant married another woman.

Mrs Williams described how Marchant had become more and more controlling.

"I discussed the relationship with him," she told Maidstone Crown Court. "It seemed to me he was not going to leave his wife and I, therefore, didn’t want to continue with the relationship."

They would see each other every fortnight and he would stay overnight about every six weeks. Marchant was busy working on a dissertation for a university degree.

On September 2 last year, he drove from his home in Heathfield, East Sussex, to see her.

They went to a restaurant, where Marchant became angry and wanted to leave. He felt unwell and went outside to be sick. She drove him home.

"I was quite fed up by this time," she said. "It was supposed to be a lovely evening out."

Mrs Williams said she took a glass of wine with her to bed and poured Marchant a cup of tea.

"I settled down to sleep," she said. "He had his arm under my head. As an indication I didn’t want to have sex with him, I took his arm and put it away from me."

Marchant was unhappy and got up. She told him there was a bed in the spare room.

She later heard his boots squeaking as he "thundered" up the corridor.

"He was in high dudgeon and started shouting at me," she added

Describing the attack, Mrs Williams said Marchant picked up the glass of wine and flung it in her face.

She continued: "He picked up some water and flung it over my head. I half sat up in bed. I was getting quite cross.

"I argued with him. I said: ‘If you are so great, if you are so brilliant, shall we phone your wife and see what she thinks about you?

"He pushed me back on the bed and said: ‘If Pat finds out I will kill you.’ He straddled me. I was pinned down. He punched me in the head.

"He grabbed me by the throat and threatened to kill me. He released my throat and then grabbed it again. Then he let me go."

Mrs Williams continued: "He was totally, totally furious. He seemed to have worked himself into a complete rage. I was screaming because I was so hysterical."

She dialled 999, asking for the police, but realised she did not have a line.

"I knew he had left the house," she said. "I just wanted him to go."