Murder accused sobs in court

Natalie Williams was strangled and drowned in a river near her home

A man accused of murdering his wife after trying to take out life insurance on her broke down in tears as he gave evidence in his defence.

Randle Williams, 43, sobbed in the witness box as he told a Bristol Crown Court jury about meeting his wife Natalie and proposing three weeks after they started dating in 1995.

He said: "She was the life and soul of the party. She was a brilliant person to be with."

But Mr Williams, who denies killing his wife, said she could have "Jekyll and Hyde" mood swings and believed she had been unfaithful to him both before and after their marriage.

I still loved her. It was not her fault, her actions were not her fault. I blamed the tablets, the bulimia, the depression and the mixture of alcohol

Randle Williams

The body of 33-year-old Mrs Williams was found in a river near the couple's home in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, the day after she was reported missing.

The jury had already heard prosecution claims that Mr Williams was in financial difficulty, owing money and failing to complete the purchase of a £525,000 Hampshire home the day Mrs Williams disappeared.

The prosecution had also told the jury that, in the weeks before Natalie's death, Mr Williams was trying to take out a £665,000 life insurance policy for the couple, to be paid to the surviving spouse.

Giving evidence, Mr Williams said he thought he could have found a way to pay for the house and, if all else failed, he would have just lost the deposit and stayed living in Bradford-on-Avon.

He told the jury that, after an incident when she was arrested in January 2002 after threatening to kill him, Mrs Williams had decided to get professional help for her problems, which included an eating disorder and depression.

He said: "I still loved her. It was not her fault, her actions were not her fault. I blamed the tablets, the bulimia, the depression and the mixture of alcohol."

Mr Williams said he had not considered divorcing Natalie.

"I did not get married to get divorced," he added.

The trial continues.