Husband 'tricked into fatal overdose'

Dena Thompson, 43, denies murdering her husband

A wife killed her husband by tricking him into taking a drugs overdose, a court has heard.

Julian Webb died on his 31st birthday in June 1994, when the couple were living in Yapton, West Sussex.

At the time the cause of death was thought to be suicide and an open verdict was recorded.

But three-times married Dena Thompson, 43, was charged with murdering him after his death was re-examined, the Old Bailey heard on Tuesday.

Mr Webb died from an overdose of aspirin and anti-depressants, Michael Birnbaum QC, prosecuting, told the jury.

Mrs Thompson, who remarried after his death, denies murder and said her husband had been depressed and committed suicide.

The defendant murdered her second husband by giving him large quantities of drugs Michael Birnbaum QC

But Mr Birnbaum said: "We say Julian didn't kill himself. The defendant killed him by subterfuge.

"She tricked him into taking large quantities - lethal quantities - of drugs when he had no idea they might kill him."

He said the anti-depressants had been prescribed for Mrs Thompson.

Mr Birnbaum said Mr Webb had changed in the last week of his life, had not gone to work or the gym, and spent most of his time in the house with his wife, who "prevented people from speaking to him" in his final days.

He described Mrs Thompson, of Larks Rise, Cullompton, Devon, as "a very disturbed person" who had two motives for the murder, one of money and the other because she had told lies which were about to be exposed.

'Very disturbed person'

The court heard Mrs Thompson had been leading a double life during the time she was with Mr Webb and had been in contact with her first husband Lee Wyatt.

She had stolen money from the Woolwich Building society where she worked and decided to blame Mr Webb, by encouraging him to write letters which incriminated him in the fraud.

But her plan was being threatened because Mr Wyatt started turning up at her address.

Mr Birnbaum said there was a "real danger" Mr Wyatt and Mr Webb could meet which would expose her deceptions.

"One way out of this dilemma was to kill Julian", Mr Birnbaum said.

He said Mr Webb's death could not have been an accident as it was not possible to take the two kinds of drugs in such large quantities by mistake.

The only person who had the opportunity to kill him was Mrs Thompson, Mr Birnbaum said.

He said: "If he did not die by his own hand then he must have died by hers", he said.

The case continues.