A war widow whose husband died defusing a Taliban bomb in Afghanistan was spared jail after drunkenly attacking her second spouse.
Christina Plumb – who campaigned for military family rights – was today given a 12-week suspended sentence after scratching and biting property developer Adam Plumb during a fight in September last year at the £1.5million eight-bed mansion they shared.
At Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on Monday, Judge Stuart Smith told Plumb she had ‘relentlessly spread lies’ in order to damage her estranged husband’s reputation.
He added: ‘You continue to victim blame and continue to attack Adam’s character which quite clearly demonstrates no remorse at all.’
During the sentence Plumb, dressed in a cream overcoat, wept in the dock and said ‘please, my daughter’.
Plumb, now 49, became a symbol for bereaved service families after her husband, Staff Sergeant Olaf ‘Oz’ Schmid, died during his final day of duty in war-torn Helmand on October 31, 2009.
In the years following his death, the mother-of-two campaigned for better pensions for war widows, higher salaries for those serving in the Armed Forces and called on politicians to ‘fight as hard as Olaf did’ for peace.
She met then-prime minister David Cameron and the late Queen who presented her with the George Cross on her husband’s behalf.
Christina Plumb at Plymouth Magistrates Court. She was today given a 12-week suspended sentence after scratching and biting property developer Adam Plumb during a fight in September last year
Plumb, now 49, became a symbol for bereaved service families after her husband, Staff Sergeant Olaf ‘Oz’ Schmid, died during his final day of duty in war-torn Helmand on October 31, 2009
Christina ‘Plumb’ Schmid with her husband Alan Plumb. She was found guilty last month of two counts of assault by beating after scratching and biting Mr Plumb, 41, at their £1.5million mansion in Ugborough, Devon
Her Army bomb disposal expert first husband Sgt Olaf ‘Oz’ Schmid (pictured) died while trying to defuse an IED device in Afghanistan
Christina – who lives on a widow’s pension from Mr Schmid and a small rental income from a student flat – was also ordered to pay £814 costs and surcharge plus £250 compensation.
She must also complete 150 days of unpaid work and was given a two year restraining order – banning her from contacting her victim – as well as a 60 day alcohol ban.
In a victim impact statement Mr Plumb said Christina’s actions had left him homeless.
He said: ‘This has completely destroyed my life, I have struggled to get out of bed every day.
‘I have been treated like I was the abuser for over a year and it has ruined my life.
‘She had me arrested on false allegations, she had me thrown out of my house. I was homeless and sleeping in my car..
She was found guilty last month of two counts of assault by beating after scratching and biting Mr Plumb, 41, at their £1.5million mansion in Ugborough, Devon, during a late-night row
Police were called, she was arrested and found guilty of two counts of assault by beating.
In a victim impact statement Mr Plumb said Christina’s actions had left him homeless. He said: ‘This has completely destroyed my life, I have struggled to get out of bed every day’
Mr Plumb – whom she married in 2020 – told the court his wife had drunk almost a full bottle of gin on the night of the attack. They were separating at the time.
The court was shown footage of Plumb cornering her husband in a 4ft-wide dressing room as he tried to leave.
He said: ‘She was just attacking me, I couldn’t have got out of there. She was scratching me and hitting me in the balls, just going at me. When I went to leave, she just beat me.
‘She scratched me and ripped my T-shirt off.’
The court was shown a video of Plumb screaming at her husband to give back her phone, which he denied taking away. It was later found next to their bed. Another video showed Mr Plumb saying: ‘Get off me – you are a disgusting woman,’ before adding: ‘You f ****** bit me. You f ****** bitch. You horrible woman.’
When questioned by defence barrister Francesca Whebell, he said: ‘Christina was behaving like a dog.’
Plumb denied the assaults and also said her husband attacked her while in bed after he discovered she wanted a divorce.
Christina Schmid is pictured here in 2010 collecting the George Cross at Buckingham Palace on behalf of her late first husband Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid
Mr Plumb claimed his wife had been reported to the police on five occasions for alleged domestic abuse.
Finding Plumb guilty, Mr Smith said to her: ‘Your demeanour is utterly inconsistent with somebody who has just been beaten.
‘I did not find your evidence credible. I found the manner [in which] you gave your evidence evasive. I find you have falsely made out Mr Plumb to be the aggressor whilst all the time it was you who was the aggressor.
‘When police did not fall for it, you became hysterical.’
