A person is on trial for stabbing his spouse to demise whereas she lay in mattress after believing he was going to lose out financially of their divorce settlement, a court docket has heard.
David Maggs, 71, has admitted killing Linda Maggs at their house in Sebastopol, Pontypool in South Wales on February 6 final 12 months, however denies murdering her.
Cardiff Crown Courtroom heard on Wednesday that he plunged a kitchen knife into his estranged spouse 15 occasions as a result of he grew to become ‘obsessed’ that she was hiding cash from him forward of their divorce.
Maggs informed police: ‘She would not know tips on how to hold her mouth shut so I ended her.’
Linda, who was 74 when she died, utilized for a divorce on grounds of her husband’s ‘unreasonable behaviour’.
Maggs has pleaded responsible to manslaughter by purpose of diminished accountability, claiming he ‘blanked out’ and doesn’t recollect the occasion.
David Maggs, 71, (pictured) is on trial for stabbing his spouse to demise whereas she lay in mattress after believing he was going to lose out financially of their divorce settlement, a court docket has heard
He has admitted killing Linda Maggs (pictured) at their house in Sebastopol, Pontypool in South Wales on February 6 final 12 months, however denies murdering her
Maggs has pleaded responsible to manslaughter by purpose of diminished accountability, claiming he ‘blanked out’ and doesn’t recollect the occasion. pictured: Their marital house in Sebastopol, Pontypool, South Wales
The retired businessman had been divorced twice earlier than his 18-year marriage to the mother-of-two broke down by March 2020.
However the pair continued residing collectively in silence at their £200,000 three-bedroom home in Pontypool, South Wales.
Prosecutor Michael Jones QC stated Maggs ‘managed’ the couple’s funds – giving his spouse simply £30-a-week as an ‘allowance’ to do their weekly store.
Within the run as much as their divorce he informed her: ‘No intercourse, no marriage, no nothing’ and threatened to cease paying her cell phone invoice.
Mr Jones stated: ‘He couldn’t settle for that the home, which he needed to depart to his son, can be break up fifty-fifty.
‘He was preoccupied by cash and have become fixated by a sum of £65,000 he had given to Linda.
‘However a police investigation discovered he had not declared £14,000 from a financial savings account within the divorce settlement.’
Maggs stated he couldn’t keep in mind the deadly assault on his spouse however the prosecution say there was no proof of diminished accountability.
The retired businessman had been divorced twice earlier than his 18-year marriage to the mother-of-two broke down by March 2020
Mr Jones informed the jury: ‘This was not a random and inexplicable homicide – it occurred within the context of an acrimonious divorce the place the defendant believed he was being financially taken benefit of by Linda.
‘The defendant had, on multiple event, talked about harming and stabbing her within the weeks main as much as the homicide.
‘He informed folks: ‘I’ve simply had sufficient, she tried to steal two homes from me,’ which reveals some reasoning behind his actions.’
Cardiff Crown Courtroom heard Maggs had put locks on sure rooms within the couple’s house in Sebastopol, Pontypool, to forestall his spouse from getting into, the court docket heard.
Mr Jones stated ‘timid’ Linda had enquired about getting a lock fitted to her personal bed room to forestall Maggs from accessing her personal paperwork.
However the court docket heard it wasn’t fitted in time earlier than her demise of their house.
Within the months that adopted, Maggs is claimed to have turn into obsessed by the concept she had hidden cash from him and would acquire dishonestly from their divorce.
Plenty of folks, together with members of his family and an property agent who got here to worth their marital house, are anticipated to offer proof throughout the trial that that they had heard Maggs making threats to stab and kill his spouse.
Mr Jones informed the jury that ‘on the sixth of February 2021 he made good that risk, and he murdered Linda Maggs’.
The pair continued residing collectively in silence at their £200,000 three-bedroom home in Pontypool, South Wales
Simply after 9am that morning, the court docket heard, Maggs took two massive kitchen knives upstairs to Linda’s bed room, taking one in with him and leaving the opposite exterior the door.
When requested why he had taken the kitchen knives with him, Maggs stated: ‘Nicely you may see I’ve a damaged hand.’
The jury was informed Maggs had fallen on ice weeks prior and had a plaster solid.
Maggs added: ‘I’ve bought a job to stroll and I’ve to speak to the spouse who can get proper bolshy. I took it for cover in case issues bought out of hand but it surely went the opposite method.’
The jury heard the 2 had not spoken to one another for 2 months earlier than Maggs killed her.
Maggs informed cops he had sat on her mattress and requested to speak together with her concerning the monetary features of their divorce, however she had informed him to ‘Get out and depart it to the solicitors’.
This made him offended, he stated; nonetheless, he claims he doesn’t recall what occurred subsequent.
Mr Jones stated that is when cops found 4ft 10in Linda had been ‘viciously and repeatedly’ stabbed within the neck, chest, abdomen and arms.
Maggs had made a 999 name to the police and informed the operator: ‘I simply killed the spouse.’
When requested by officers at Ystrad Mynach police station why he had taken two knives with him to speak to his spouse, he stated it was as a result of she may very well be ‘bolshy’ and ‘a madam’.
Cardiff Crown Courtroom heard Maggs had put locks on sure rooms within the couple’s house in Sebastopol, Pontypool, to forestall his spouse from getting into, the court docket heard
In his opening, Mr Jones stated: ‘The prosecution case is that this, that even when the defendant on the time had reasonable melancholy, which we dispute, that doesn’t absolve him, not to mention diminish his accountability.
‘That on that day, as an acrimonious divorce was coming to a conclusion, the monetary side of it was nonetheless below lively investigation, the defendant whether or not in anger or frustration, or each, knew precisely what he was doing when he took these knives from the kitchen, walked upstairs, and stabbed his spouse to demise.
‘The defendant contemplated and threatened to do that on multiple event within the months and the times main as much as her demise.’
He added: ‘At no level does the defendant categorical any regret or remorse for stabbing Linda to demise. In actual fact, we are saying that, proper from the primary 999 name, the constant emotion proven by this defendant is one in every of animosity and anger in the direction of Linda, then self-pity.’
Decide Michael Fitton informed the jury: ‘The important thing details that relate to the occasion that brought about the demise of Linda Maggs will not be in dispute, there isn’t any dispute concerning the causation of Linda Maggs demise or who brought about it.
‘It is admitted David Maggs killed Linda Maggs however there’s a dispute concerning the circumstances by which he killed her, there is a dispute about his psychological state on the day he killed her and there is a dispute about his accountability for killing her
‘He admits the offence of manslaughter however denies an offence of homicide. He has pleaded responsible to the cost of manslaughter however not responsible to the cost of homicide.
‘You are right here to determine if he’s responsible of her homicide or not.’
On the time of her demise her household stated: ‘Linda was an incredible mum, nan and expensive good friend to many, who was tragically taken away too quickly.
‘She was a pricey mum who was all the time on the finish of a telephone to offer us love and recommendation after we wanted it.
‘She was stunning inside and outside and can be sorely missed by all who had the pleasure of understanding her.
‘She had the kindest coronary heart and would do something for anybody.
‘Our lives won’t ever be the identical and her reminiscence can be treasured by us ceaselessly.’
The trial, anticipated to final round 4 weeks, continues.