Sandbanks property developer is cleared of strangling 'Amazonian' wife after she drew up divorce wish-list of £1m home, £35,000 Range Rover and £65,000 a year

A Sandbanks property developer has been cleared of strangling his 'Amazonian' wife during a row over their divorce in their £3million mansion. Paul Pressland, 63, said that while he was relieved at being cleared of the alleged attack on Gemma Martin, 52, there were 'no winners' in the case. The company director had been accused of squeezing Ms Martin's throat until her eyes 'bulged' during a heated argument in their en-suite bathroom. The couple had hosted Ms Martin's parents for a Sunday roast dinner at their home in Poole, Dorset, before a heated argument ensued on December 1, 2024. The court heard Ms Martin, who was described as 'Amazonian' by her estranged husband, threw her Ugg slippers at him as he brushed his teeth.The prosecution alleged Mr Pressland reacted by punching her in the ribs, pinning her against a door and squeezing her neck until her eyes 'bulged' and she fell to the floor.But the property developer denied this, saying he acted in self-defence. Mr Pressland said after hitting him in the face with her slipper, she struck him and grabbed his hair. The pair then 'tussled' and 'bounced off the walls' onto the floor. Gemma Martin, 52, and Paul Pressland, 63, are pictured on their wedding day. Mr Pressland has been cleared of strangling his estranged wife in a drunken row over their divorce The court heard Ms Martin, who was described as 'Amazonian' by her estranged husband, threw her Ugg slippers at him as he brushed his teeth (she is pictured arriving to court)He claimed that a bruise Ms Martin suffered to her back was the result of her being pushed against a door handle during the tussle. When asked about the red marks on her neck, Mr Pressland suggested they may have been caused by a wetsuit she wore during a charity swim that day. He previously told the court he was the victim, not the aggressor, and described his wife as a fit and strong woman who did boxing and personal training. Mr Pressland said: 'I didn't use excessive force, I did what I felt was necessary to placate the situation and defend myself against somebody who was attacking me.'Gemma has been described as Amazonian by friends. She's very fit, she works out, she does boxing and PT. I was defending myself.'A jury spent exactly one hour deliberating the case at Salisbury Crown Court before finding the father-of-four not guilty. Mr Pressland said of the verdict: 'I am relieved but I am just sorry for what everybody has had to go through, in particular my ex-stepsons.'But you have to put your faith in the jury system to find the truth.' Ms Martin had completed a charity swim on the day of the row with her estranged husband The court heard how the mother-of-three drew up a handwritten 'wish list' of things she wanted from the acrimonious divorce, including a £1million homeHe said he could not comment on whether the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) should have brought the charges against him in the first place. The couple got together in 2014 and married in 2022. In 2024, Ms Martin sought a divorce on the grounds of adultery, the jury was told. The court heard how the mother-of-three drew up a handwritten 'wish list' of things she wanted from the acrimonious divorce. Items included a £1million home, a £60,000 annual salary, a £35,000 Range Rover and vehicles for her two sons. Mr Pressland said he was disappointed to find out his wife had filed divorce paperwork from an 'office gossip' before he was informed. Tensions reached boiling point when the couple hosted Ms Martin's parents for an early Christmas lunch before they went to Thailand for three months.Mr Pressland said he had opened a bottle of red wine to pour some in the gravy for the roast beef and had 'a glass or two' while cooking.He 'wasn't keeping tabs' of who drank what but said five bottles of wine were drunk between six people over the course of about five hours.Ms Martin claimed his mood changed after her parents left at around 8.30pm and a 'heated conversation' ensued in their en-suite bathroom. She said: 'I remember him squeezing and everything going a little blank. I couldn't breathe, I could feel my head spinning and my eyes bulging.'I just thought "this is it". I felt overpowered.'He let go after about five seconds and I fell to the floor. I started screaming, hyperventilating and went into a panic attack. I was in shock from severe trauma.'But Mr Pressland claimed he acted in self-defence when Ms Martin burst into the ensuite and began calling him names. He told the court: 'She struck me with her fists, then went out and came back and did it again. She grabbed my hair, being vain I didn't want my hair wrenched out so I went with the flow, if she pulled I went with it.'I was being pulled around by my hair, backwards and forwards towards the master bedroom. I said "you're hurting me, can you let go".'