LONDON, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- The mysterious injuries sustained by British professor Stephen Hawking were inflicted by the man's wife, a former nurse alleged Thursday in The Mirror.
The unidentified woman claimed Elaine Hawking, 53, had repeatedly assaulted the 62-year-old Cambridge professor, who is paralyzed by motor neurone disease.
He is hospitalized now with pneumonia, and has angrily denied anyone had been attacking him over the past several years although he has a long record of appearing the hospital's emergency department with unexplained injuries.
The nurse, who was part of Hawking's round-the-clock care team for several years, recalled seeing a three-inch gash to his throat, caused, she claimed by the wife "shaving him very harshly."
The nurse also said she witnessed the woman slam Hawking's arm onto his wheelchair, breaking his wrist.
"Everyone was in fear of the woman and in fear of causing problems for Stephen," she said.
Police have spoken to the nurse, who is now working abroad, and plan to fly her to Cambridge to be interviewed.
Wednesday, Hawking asked the media to leave him alone.
