Shotgun husband waits for verdict

John Walker denies murdering his wife at their Suffolk home

The jury in the trial of a Suffolk man who killed his wife with a shotgun has finished hearing all the evidence.

John Walker, 66, is accused of murdering wife Glenda, 63, at their Great Bealings home in November 2002.

Walker, who denies murder, claims it was manslaughter because of diminished responsibility and provocation.

On Thursday a judge at Ipswich Crown Court finished summing up the case and said the jury would begin its deliberations on Friday.

The defence claimed Walker was clinically depressed at the time of the killing and suffering from anxiety and stress.

'Wife gloated'

They argue this caused an abnormality in Walker's mind which diminished his responsibility for the killing.

Walker also argues his wife, who he had been married to for 40 years, had provoked him by "gloating" and "sneering" after threatening to "take everything off him" because he had an affair.

The couple were heading for a divorce and Walker claims his wife was trying to "tarnish" his reputation and "drive a wedge between him and his children".

Walker killed his wife with a shotgun, returned it to its cabinet and then went for a walk before calling police.

Mrs Walker died of a shotgun wound to her chest.