A man whose “perfect housewife” is accused of trying to murder him stored a secret document on his computer expressing fears that she might kill him.
Iain Fullerton was stabbed “repeatedly” by his wife, Grace, in their upmarket Westhill bungalow on Tuesday, June 14, last year.
As her attempted murder trial continued at the High Court in Aberdeen yesterday, it was claimed that the accused had caused her husband to fear for his life in 2009.
The court heard Mr Fullerton, a 64-year-old offshore development consultant, saved a letter entitled “if” on a computer.
Although the file has since become corrupted and rendered unreadable, Mr Fullerton told police it was made in the event of “him being found dead, with Grace responsible”.
However, the victim added that the letter also explained the “dynamics of their relationship”, and that he was “not always the perfect husband”.
Mr Fullerton claims he cannot remember the attack, but supports his wife’s defence that she was acting in self-defence and was “unable, through mental disorder, to appreciate the wrongfulness of her conduct”.
Defence Advocate, Lili Prais, argued that her client lashed out amid a row over her husband, who is an admitted alcoholic, drink driving.
She told Mr Fullerton: “You were drinking, and your wife is terrified of you drink driving and harming someone so hid the keys.”
Jurors were later played audio clips taken from Mr Fullerton’s mobile phone, which featured the accused threatening to kill him.
In one, recorded 11 days before she stabbed him, she said: “I’ll kill you then I’ll kill myself, I’ve got nothing to lose.”
Paramedics testified to arriving at the “blood-spattered” property and finding the accused in the garden with self-inflicted wrist wounds.
Stonehaven crew member, Ashleigh Morrison, said: “I remember her saying she had put up with him for 29 years, and was eventually going to kill somebody.”
It is alleged the 61-year-old locked Mr Fullerton in their Brimmond Crescent home, detained him there against his will, and threatened to kill him while repeatedly stabbing him.
Fullerton is also accused of behaving in a threatening manner to her husband by shouting and swearing at him and assaulting her spouse between January 1992 and last June at Brimmond Crescent and an Inverbervie address.
Anne Hepburn, a childhood friend of the accused, gave evidence saying Fullerton wanted to be “the perfect hostess and the perfect housewife”.
The trial continues.
