Accused man denies murder

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

A man accused of strangling and drowning his wife has told a jury he was not responsible for killing her and dumping her body in a river.

Giving evidence at Bristol Crown Court, Randle Williams said he did not murder 33-year-old Natalie.

Her body was found submerged in a river near the couple's home in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, the day after her husband reported her missing.

Giving evidence , Mr Williams, 43, admitted that a polo shirt and trainers found by police in a lay-by he was seen visiting after the murder were his.

I still loved her. It was not her fault. Her actions were not her fault

Randle Williams

But he denied putting the items there and said swimming shorts found in the lay-by were not his.

The jury had already heard prosecution evidence that mud found on some of the items was similar to that from where Natalie's body was found.

Mr Williams told the jury that on the night she disappeared in April 2002, everything had been fine between the pair.

He said he had called in police after Natalie went out to walk the dog. The animal returned wet and muddy but his wife did not come back.

Earlier on, he had told the jury about problems between the couple, saying Natalie had "Jekyll and Hyde" mood swings and he suspected she had affairs both before and after their 1997 marriage.

Natalie, who suffered from depression and an eating disorder, had been arrested in January 2002 after threatening to kill her husband.

Financial problems

But he told the jury he did not blame her for the way she had behaved towards him.

"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."

The prosecution alleges Mr Williams was in financial difficulty at the time of Natalie's death.

Mr Williams had also been trying to arrange a £665,000 life insurance policy for both to be paid to the surviving spouse.

He said this was to make sure each would be able to pay the mortgages if the other died.

The case continues.