Murder charge wife 'threatened'

An Essex wife accused of stabbing her husband to death has told a court told how he tried to strangle her the night he moved in with his mistress.

Rita Salmon, 54, said her husband of 34 years put his hands around her throat and told her he wanted her dead.

She said: "He said that he was leaving, and then he just packed his suitcase and left."

Mrs Salmon, of Shearing Walk in Colchester, denies murdering husband Derek on 28 July last year.

Suicide attempts

The mother of two, who is alleged to have stabbed Derek Salmon nine times in the back, said she had attempted suicide twice in the two days after his departure.

A third suicide bid followed some time later during a holiday in Turkey, after Mrs Salmon learnt her husband wanted to sell the house they used to share.

She said: "I just wanted to die. I just wanted the pain to stop."

The prosecution alleges the evening Mr Salmon died Mrs Salmon turned up at her daughter Tara's home and announced: "Till death do us part, so death do us part it will be".

She then allegedly ordered her daughter to phone her father, warning that if she disobeyed, her fiancé would also die.

Garden attack

Tara and her husband-to-be, Mark Padmore, have told the court that within seconds of Derek Salmon arriving, the 6ft 5in ex-soldier was attacked.

They said Mrs Salmon ran from the kitchen screaming just before plunging a 10-inch knife into his back, and he promptly fell to the floor twitching and screaming.

Despite his injury, he managed to haul himself to his feet and then stagger into the back garden followed by his wife.

Neighbours said they witnessed Mr Salmon being attacked again in the garden.

The trial continues at Inner London Crown Court.