Christie's expert slapped wife across face Brenninkmeyer's lawyer Mr. Mark Haslam told the court: "This is a marriage both parties think can be saved and there is an email from his wife to that effect." Prosecutor Mr. Paul Mitchell said the family were planning to drive to Mrs Brenninkmeyer's mother's home in Buckinghamshire on that Sunday afternoon. Mrs Brenninkmeyer could sense a bad mood and was afraid the defendant would get angry with her, but he assured her everything was going to be OK. They were driving along Fulham Palace Road when the defendant became aggressive and started shouting: 'I want to punish you for what you did to me'. The court heard Brenninkmeyer was still angry with his wife for calling the police two days earlier and told her: "I'm going to break your phone and tell the accountant not to allow you to have another. "She said: 'Please calm down for the kids', but he started to bash his fists on the steering wheel while they were still moving," explained Mr. Mitchell. He then backhand hit her across the right side of her face. He was driving erratically so she decided to call the police and grabbed her phone, but Mr. Brenninkmeyer grabbed her hand, clawing at her hand. He gave up, but grabbed her sunglasses from her lap and threw them out of the window. The right side of her face was throbbing and she could see bruising as the journey continued and at Beaconsfield Services she took the two girls into a service area and cried. Mr. Brenninkmeyer said: 'Why don't you get back in the car? You're causing a scene'. There was another row back at the family home that night when Brenninkmeyer discovered his wife had taken money from their joint account to pay a cleaner and he pushed her down onto a sofa. The defendant was assured the bail conditions would not prohibit him seeing his daughters. "The children will have to see their father and I am sure the fact that he is not at home is distressing to them," said Mrs Williams. The court heard Brenninkmeyer has been undergoing treatment for anxiety.