A police officer is accused of breaking his wife’s back by kicking her down the stairs.

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

Cardiff Crown Court heard the pair fought frequently, and had been squabbling via text message on the evening leading up to the incident.

Mr Orphan denies causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Ms Burley told the court she still suffered with pain and struggled to play with her children due to the injuries she sustained.

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

Ms Burley was a custody detention officer, before passing her basic police officer training in August 2018, and Mr Orphan joined the force as a constable in May 2016.

They moved in together in Newport in 2019, and were married on 10 July that year.

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

In February 2020, the family moved to Barry.

In court on Wednesday, defence barrister Julian King asked Ms Burley if it was a difficult pregnancy period for them both.

She said following the birth of their son, the arguments “became more frequent”.

When asked if they were “heated”, Ms Burley said: “At points, but it wasn’t always like that.”

She agreed they usually fought about “petty” or “trivial” topics.

The first incident was on 25 January 2020, when the couple were fighting about sterilising their baby’s bottles.

“Obviously from having two children before, I was trying to explain to him about the importance of sterilising it,” said Ms Burley.

She denied throwing the bottle in her husband’s direction, and slamming a door into his back.

Mr King said: “He took hold of your wrists, he was asking you to stop behaving like that and calm down. He took you down to the floor because you were not calming down.”

Ms Burley said this had nothing to do with how she was acting, it was “just what he did”, adding: “I had the baby in my arms, I went into the bedroom and sat behind the door.”

Mr King said his client forced his way into the bedroom because he was “very worried” she might hurt herself.

Ms Burley told the court that was “just an excuse he has made up” and “he just wanted to hurt me”.

The arguments continued over the next few months, with Mr Orphan “often leaving”, the court heard.

On 7 April 2020, Mr Orphan was at work and the couple were exchanging messages about what Ms Burley would have for dinner.

Asked if she was angry about a lack of replies from Mr Orphan, Ms Burley said she was “just anxious everything was OK”.

The jury was shown messages in which Ms Burley called her husband names and suggested he could not be bothered to speak to her.

“You were getting cross that he had not been in touch,” said Mr King. “You were very, very cross with him by midnight.”

Ms Burley said: “I was upset… we were in a really poor state in our relationship. I’d not long had our child, and I think I just wanted some help and support at home.”

Ms Burley denied “bubbling over with anger” when Mr Orphan arrived home shortly after 01:00.

Mr King put it to her that she was “swiping at the back of [Mr Orphan’s] legs” as they went upstairs, causing her to fall.

She responded: “That never happened. I was kicked backwards down that set of stairs, so hard I actually missed the stairs and landed flat on my back.”

The court heard Ms Burley lay on the sofa, while Mr Orphan slept upstairs, but about 03:45 he sent her a heart emoji, and she apologised for “having a go and being annoying”.

Mr Orphan replied: “I am sorry for what happened.”

Mr King pointed out the messages between them from the next day became friendly.

Ms Burley said: “I think I was just scared of what he was capable of doing next… It was quite common we would argue and then the next day go back to being fine.”

Mr King said Mr Orphan suggested his wife get checked at hospital, and drove her there.

Ms Burley said she was “in shock” and did not initially realise the extent of her injuries.

She added Mr Orphan would only let her attend “if I didn’t tell them what had actually happened”.

“He told me that if I didn’t tell them I’d fallen, he wouldn’t bring my kids back,” she said.

Mr King said: “You made no report or complaint of assault in April and that was because you knew you were trying to trip him up.”

By May 2020, the couple had split up.

In a statement read in court, Sgt Paul Broad of Maindee Police Station in Newport said Ms Burley told him she had fractured a bone in her back and would have to wear a brace.

He added she messaged him in May 2020 asking for advice on how to make a complaint against Mr Orphan.

Ieuan Bennett, prosecuting, showed the jury nine images taken by Ms Burley, of injuries including a “linear mark to the arm”, a “small abrasion just below the ear” and a “cut or laceration near the ankle”.

“I’m still in a lot of pain,” Ms Burley told the court.

“I can’t run around after my children, go into a soft play centre or kick a ball with them.”

The trial continues.