Husband shot wife for 'gloating'

John Walker denies murdering his wife at their Suffolk home

A man has told a jury that he shot his wife over breakfast after she threatened to "take everything off him" because he had an affair.

John Walker, 66, said he shot Glenda, 63, at their home in Great Bealings, Suffolk, in November 2002 after she "gloated" and "sneered" at him.

He said he returned the shotgun to its cabinet and then went for a walk before calling police.

He denies murder and is to argue he had suffered diminished responsibility.

Jurors were told that the Walkers, who had been married for more than 40 years and have a grown son and daughter, were in the throes of a divorce.

Divorce was the last thing I wanted. I didn't want to lose Glenda. I didn't want to break up the family in any way John Walker

They heard they had been living separate lives following Mr Walker's affair with a woman now in her 70s, whom he had met in a dancing class.

Walker told the court he met his future wife when she was working as a cook at his college and she was his first girlfriend.

They began married life in Dartford, Kent, and moved to Suffolk 30 years ago.

When their children left for university he feared there would be a "vacuum" in his relationship with his wife.

He said he tried to find hobbies which they could enjoy together and arranged for them to begin ballroom dancing, but his hopes were not fulfilled and in 1990 Mrs Walker moved out of the marital bedroom, complaining that he "snored badly".

The couple had been living separate lives in Meadow Cottage

Mr Walker met the "other woman", who has not been named in court, in 1994 and they began an affair four years later, which he said his wife uncovered in 2000.

He said he ended the affair and did not want his marriage to end.

The defendant told the court: "Divorce was the last thing I wanted. I didn't want to lose Glenda. I didn't want to break up the family in any way."

Mr Walker said that he and his wife started living separate lives - at one point building a partition wall in their house so they had separate living space.

Mrs Walker died of a shotgun wound to her chest at Meadow Cottage in Lodge Road, Great Bealings, in November 2002.

Officers went to their home where they found Mrs Walker's body and arrested Mr Walker at the scene.

The trial continues at Ipswich Crown Court.