The Bluetones’ Mark Morriss addresses abuse allegations made by ex-wife
The Bluetones’ Mark Morriss has posted a lengthy open letter responding to allegations of abuse made by his ex-wife.
Last November, Morriss was accused of years of abuse by newspaper executive Anna Wharton. She accused Morriss of being a “pathological liar and serial predator,” detailing years of alleged gaslighting, abuse and cheating in a blog post titled ‘If I’m Lying, Come Sue Me’.
When approached by NME about the claims, Morriss said: “I completely refute all the allegations of abuse which have been raised in this article,” and did not wish to comment.
However when speaking to The Guardian, he said: “I may have been thoughtless and selfish in some of the dealings in my personal life of late, but these allegations of abuse and gaslighting are wholly untrue, and I refute them completely.”
Now Morriss has posted a blog post of his own, simply titled ‘Statement’.
I have a few things I need to get off my chest… thanks. https://t.co/E0Qif4AMO2
— Mark Morriss (@TheQuill) March 2, 2022
He starts by apologising “for the pain I caused with my infidelity and dishonesty. I acknowledge that I have caused emotional distress to people I love. But I believe that this is a personal matter between me and those involved.”
Morriss goes on to detail how the pair met, and how Wharton fell pregnant four months after they started dating. “I was excited at the prospect of becoming a father again, but I was also concerned about the length of time we had spent together and how little we knew each other. I did not ask Anna to have a termination,” wrote Morriss, denying a claim made by Wharton on her blog.
Morriss then detailed an argument the pair allegedly had in 2017, at a party celebrating their marriage. “It was supposed to be one of the happiest nights of our lives, but the celebrations were marred by Anna becoming upset that I’d allowed my ex-partner and mother of my son, access to the party so that she could collect him and take him home,” claims Morriss.
Two days later, “she raged and screamed, telling me how worthless she thought I was,” starts Morriss before accusing Wharton of physical and verbal assault “both in our home and at public and social events at which there were witnesses.”
“She spat and screamed in my face that I was a spineless, non- man, still governed by the whims of my ex. As she came towards me aggressively, I grabbed her with both hands by the neck to push her away from me. My hands were on her for about a second, and I stopped immediately but I already knew it was a second too long. I was filled with shame and remorse. I tried to apologise but it was too late.”
I have been alerted that Mark has released a statement.
It is true, there are two sides to every story, but that relies on both parties telling the truth and being able to evidence their claims.
Lawyers read my blog. Lawyers saw evidence of every accusation I made.
— anna wharton (@whartonswords) March 2, 2022
While moving out of their shared home months later, Morriss alleges that “Anna said that she would ‘go to the police and tell them you assaulted me if you take the bed’,” which Morriss took anyway.
He then confirms he was questioned by police at Tonbridge Police station and accepted a caution.
“Had I ‘throttled’ Anna, as she alleges, there is no way the police would have released me without a charge,” writes Morriss before going on to deny her “claims that she lived in an environment of bullying and coercion”
“This has been the lowest point of my life. If it appears to people that I have made light of this situation, it has merely been as a coping mechanism,” he wrote, addressing claims that he joked about sexual predator allegations on stage last year.
“Abuse, cruelty and violence have no place in society or the home, I fully support the ongoing movement to hold perpetrators accountable and support victims, and I stand in solidarity with them,” Morriss finished.
In response, Wharton took to Twitter to say: “In terms of his counter claims. I don’t know where to start, except to say: They are not based in fact or truth. The events described did not happen. They are defamatory. I stand by everything I wrote in my original blog post.”
A warning about The Malicious Communications Act 1988 to those who may be sharing Mark’s statement in good faith believing it to be truthful: pic.twitter.com/CxVa81q4ck
— anna wharton (@whartonswords) March 2, 2022
And in an update to her original blog, Wharton wrote: “On March 2, more than three months after I published this blog, Mark released a statement which, if anything, confirmed most of what I have written here.
“For good measure, he also excused his behaviour by repeating claims that I abused him. I have never been spoken to by the police for abusing Mark, I have no criminal record and neither have I ever been arrested and cautioned for abusing Mark. What he wrote was extremely ill-advised and highly libellous,” wrote Wharton.
“But, it is also typical perpetrator behaviour, and confirms again much of which I have written here. I hope people will learn more about gaslighting having read his statement and understand better what women who have suffered abuse must endure. I have taken action,” she said.