THE jury has retired to consider its verdict in the case of a husband accused of murdering his wife as she lay in bed.

David Maggs, 71, stabbed Linda Maggs 15 times with a kitchen knife at the home they shared in Pontypool on the morning of February 6, 2021.

The retired accountant has admitted killing the 74-year-old mother and grandmother but denies murder.

He pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility, saying he had “blanked out”.

The couple had been together for nearly 30 years but Mrs Maggs had been in the process of divorcing her husband, Cardiff Crown Court was told.

They had been living separate lives under the same roof after their relationship ended in March 2020, the jury was told.

In the months leading up to his wife’s death, Maggs became obsessed with the idea she was hiding money from him and would gain dishonestly from the divorce, prosecutor Michael Jones QC said.

He made threats to stab and kill his wife in front of a number of people, including an estate agent and housing officer, witnesses testified.

Just after 9am on the day of his wife’s death, Maggs took two kitchen knives upstairs to his wife’s room, leaving one outside her door, the court was told.

He told police he sat on the side of her bed where she was still lying under the blankets and told her he wanted to talk about the divorce.

When she told him to leave it for the solicitors, he became angry.

Maggs claims the next thing he remembers is after the attack.