A horrified wife discovered that her husband had repeatedly raped her while she slept.
She found shocking videos of the attacks on his mobile phone.
The disgusted victim saw the sickening footage when she grew curious about an app called ‘Video Locker’ on her husband’s phone and decided to investigate.
The series of videos showed the husband carrying out revolting sex acts on his wife while she was asleep in their bed.
During one sickening attack, the husband ejaculated onto his wife’s face and then wiped it off before she woke.
In other scenes, he had zoomed in to record some of the graphic rape footage.
Jailing him for nine years in prison, Mr. Recorder Baird said: “You did so for your own sexual gratification and treated her as an object of your fantasies, disregarding her wishes or needs.”
Newcastle Crown Court heard the victim contacted her husband after watching the videos and told him, “I’ve just watched videos of you raping me on your phone.”
He never returned home and handed himself to the police when he realised he had been caught.
The husband, who is in his 30s, pleaded guilty to three counts of rape, one of assault by penetration, one of attempted rape and one of sexual assault.
In a statement, the traumatised victim said her life had been left in tatters as she struggled to come to terms with her husband’s actions.
She said: “In March 2017, I discovered my husband had been sexually abusing me.
“Since that day, my life and that of our children have been completely turned upside down in ways I still cannot come to terms with.”
The victim, who is now on medication, said she now worries about her future and added: “I never thought he would be capable of doing what he did.
“He has completely fooled me. I never want to see him again.”
The court was told the couple had been together for more than 10 years when the man started the horrific abuse in September 2016.
Mark Giuliani, prosecuting, said: “On March 14 this year (2017), the defendant left for work. As he forgot to take his mobile phone with him, the complainant took the opportunity to look at the phone and noticed something called Video Locker.
“Initially, she couldn’t get access to it, which caused her to become suspicious.”
She eventually managed to gain access to the programme and was horrified by what she found.
Giuliani added: “It showed video recordings of the defendant participating in sexual activity with his wife while she was asleep.
“The recordings have subsequently been destroyed.”
The court heard that the videos varied in length from 30 seconds to two minutes and each showed a different occasion of the man raping or abusing his sleeping wife.
By the time the victim went to the police, the husband had already handed himself in. telling officers: “I have had sex with my wife. She didn’t consent. She found out and saw videos on my phone.”
Richard Herrmann, defending, said: “There’s genuine remorse and awareness of the harm he’s caused and a willingness to make changes that this man has to make so he can live a normal life after the inevitable lengthy custodial sentence he will receive today.”
Jailing him up for nine years and ordering him to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life, Mr. Recorder Baird said: “You abused the trust that your wife placed in you.
“Between September 2016 and March this year, you raped and sexually abused her while she was incapable of giving consent to your actions.
“I take the view you took advantage of the fact that she was drunk and a heavy sleeper.
“You did so for your own sexual gratification and treated her as an object for your fantasies, disregarding her wishes or needs.”
