Sion Jenkins had a temper and subjected his family to years of violent outbursts, his first wife Lois alleged in evidence never heard by a jury.
He disciplined one of their daughters with a stick or a slipper and had threatened his wife when challenged, she told the Court of Appeal in 2004.
Mrs Jenkins' evidence could not be reported until the conclusion of her ex-husband's latest trial.
She told the court he was "volatile" and would "lose it" and attack her.
"As a Christian I felt a controlled smack was better than an outburst and Sion would use a stick or a slipper"
"I first became aware of Sion's temper about three weeks before our marriage," Mrs Jenkins said.
"He lost his temper and slapped me around my face.
"A few weeks after the marriage he had a violent outburst and slapped me again. I was surprised at how volatile he was and felt frightened.
"When he lost his temper we never argued, he never shouted, he would just lose it, snap and in a few moments he would be back to normal."
She said her husband doted on Annie, their eldest daughter, and loved her deeply, but she felt he was too heavy-handed with her.
"As a Christian I felt a controlled smack was better than an outburst and Sion would use a stick or a slipper."
Mrs Jenkins said that, if she challenged her husband's discipline, especially with Annie, he would lose his temper and sometimes threatened her.
'Pulled my hair'
"Despite this, we were happy together and had many enjoyable times as a family," she stated.
She recalled that, when they lived in East Ham, east London, Mr Jenkins "hit me one night and, I believe, pulled my hair which was long then. It was the first time I was really frightened of him".
She went on: "I told him I was not going to put up with it any more. For the first time he admitted he had a temper.
"Previously he had always blanked it out and refused to admit he had hit me. Some time later he apologised.
"On this occasion, I was really scared but we talked about it and prayed together."
He continued to lose his temper after the family moved to Hastings in August 1992, five years before Billie-Jo's death.
"He had a short, sharp temper and I knew when he lost it by his facial expression. He sometimes smacked the children during that time.
"I remember Sion slapped me after we had lived there for about two years.
"He was having real trouble with a toilet roll holder upstairs. As I passed I made a practical suggestion and went downstairs. Sion came downstairs really stressed.
"He hit me around the face hard and my head was spinning with the force of it. I went upstairs and hid in the loft crying.
"I felt very dizzy and was scared of Sion. I had extreme earache for three to four days and I could not hear out of it and a whistling noise developed.
"I realised my eardrum had been perforated. I went to my GP and the ear, nose and throat department at hospital. I can't remember if he apologised or not."
Two of Billie-Jo's classmates told police after her death that the teenager was scratched by Jenkins.
Told for the first time about the girls' statements during the appeal, Mrs Jenkins became tearful, admitted she had seen the scratches but said Billie-Jo told her they had been caused by the school bag she had swung around her neck.
"I was aware of it but I had no idea this was the story," she said.
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