NY mayor: I never assaulted wife; she attacked me

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – The mayor of this New York suburb testified Tuesday at his domestic violence trial that he never assaulted his wife and that she was always the attacker, regularly punching, pushing and ranting at him.

"I never responded physically to my wife's assaults, ever," Mayor Adam Bradley said in Westchester County Court.

He said he never called police or social workers because he wanted "to keep the family intact." He said even after his arrest, he suggested marriage counseling "because I wanted to see if there was an opportunity for us to have a reconciliation."

The Bradleys, who have been married seven years and are divorcing, have two young daughters.

The mayor's wife, Fumiko Bradley, testified earlier that he slammed a door on her fingers and threw hot tea at her. She also said he once frightened her by placing a large caged cockroach against her face after a fight.

Adam Bradley, 49, is charged with assault, witness tampering and harassment, among other crimes. He has pleaded not guilty.

When Bradley was arrested, he was barred from seeing his family, but that order of protection was modified at his wife's request. He told defense lawyer Luis Andrew Penichet that "things seemed better" and they even had sex a few days later.

But the next day, he said, his wife appeared to become angry because he was sitting on a bed with one of his daughters and the nanny, Yuko Watanabe, watching an animated Japanese movie. It was innocent, he said, but "Fumiko was very upset about what she perceived to be me being with Yuko."

Bradley denied his wife's testimony that he had told her she should hang herself when some of her e-mails about their marriage became public. He said Tuesday that when he heard during a phone call that the e-mails were out, he said, "Oh, my God, I should just hang myself now."

On cross-examination, Bradley also denied telling his 38-year-old wife she should admit herself to a mental hospital. He said he mentioned mental health treatment in the context of doing "everything possible" to save the marriage and help the children.

Prosecutor Audrey Stone pointed out that Bradley had twice before enlisted the help of authorities against women he lived with — getting an order of protection against one woman and an eviction notice against another.

When Stone tried to get Bradley to admit to being stressed about the possibility of losing his livelihood if convicted, the mayor said he was most stressed by "the damage to my reputation." He added later, without elaborating, that the case was "a direct effort to destroy me."

The mayor has resisted calls for his resignation, insisting he would be vindicated.

Acting state Supreme Court Justice Susan Capeci is hearing the case without a jury.