17 March 2023 , 22:59
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A man allegedly lifted his wife out of a wheelchair and tried to throw her over railings and into a river.
Jonathan Pinney, 38, from Boston, US, is accused of attempting to chuck his wife into Boston’s Fort Port Channel on Wednesday at around 3pm because he thought she was an “imposter.”
Police were called to the port by a concerned eyewitness who saw Mr Pinney drag the woman out of her wheelchair and attempt to throw her over the railings, according to prosecutors.
The witness claimed the victim was shaking and out of breath after the traumatic ordeal as she was rushed to Tufts Medical Centre.
Mr Pinney reportedly told cops he thought his wife was an “imposter” as he attempted to “dump her” into the channel.
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Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement: “Considering the air and water temperatures Wednesday, along with the victim’s disability, we would likely be looking at a far more tragic scenario had this man been successful in his stated intent.”
The suspect reportedly has a history of misdemeanour's in California, Arkansas and Illinois.
Mr Pinney was ordered by a judge for a 20-day clinical evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital.
He is due back in court on April 14.
BOSTON, MA - November 21: The skyline seen from the harbor on November 21, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)The incident comes just days after a student was caught on CCTV throwing a disabled woman's wheelchair down a flight of stairs in a nightclub.
Carson Briere, who plays for the Mercyhurst University men's ice hockey team in Pennsylvania, US, was forced to issue a grovelling apology after he was caught on camera launching an unoccupied wheelchair at Sullivan's Pub and Eatery in Erie last weekend.
The video shows the hockey player and his two friends at the top of the steps before Carson pushes the wheelchair down the steps.
Nightclub staff had taken the woman downstairs to use a staff toilet, according to Nate Sanders, the head of security at Sullivan's.
Mr Sanders said the woman had to be carried up the stairs by security and placed in the wheelchair.
The student and his friends were kicked out of the nightclub by security after his conduct was caught on CCTV.
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Carson has since issued a grovelling apology and called it a "serious lack of judgement."
He said in a statement: "I am deeply sorry for my behaviour on Saturday.
"There is no excuse for my actions, and I will do whatever I can to make up for this serious lack of judgment."
A GoFundMe page to help buy the woman a new wheelchair was launched by Mr Sanders after after it was damage.
She said it left her feeling "overwhelmed."