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Elderly man, 81, on trial for murder of his wife by stabbing her in the neck
Elderly man on trial for murder of his wife by stabbing in Hullbridge
By Ellis Whitehouse @E_Whitehouse293 Senior Reporter
The scene of the incident in Hullbridge
AN ELDERLY man is standing trial accused of murdering his wife by stabbing her in the neck in their home.
Robert Lewis is accused of murdering his wife Janet Lewis in Padgetts Way, Hullbridge.
The 81-year-old is alleged to have killed his 76-year-old wife by stabbing her in the neck on September 1, 2019.
Lewis' trial began at Chelmsford Crown Court this week, where he appeared via video link from prison in a wheelchair.
Lewis denies murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility. while the couple's son Paul Lewis took to the dock yesterday and insisted his mother never feared for her safety.
At court yesterday, Paul Lewis said up to 2019 he would visit his parents once a week and in the run up to August 2019 there would be times where his father would forget things, including when he couldn't work his tablet.
He told the court: "He was getting frustrated that he couldn't remember and he asked me to take it away and it was one less thing for him to worry about.
"He stopped doing things on his own and felt frustrated he couldn't do it."
Alison Gurden, representing Robert Lewis, asked Paul Lewis: "He wasn't being violent towards your mother, he wasn't frustrated with your mum was he? She was doing everything she could to support him, they were devoted to each other."
Mr Lewis agreed and told the court that his father would start doing activities at different times of the day.
Ms Gurden added: "You said you mum was worried about his manner. She didn't fear for her safety did she? She wasn't worried about him being violent?" Mr Lewis answered "no" to both questions.
Police and paramedics, as well as an air ambulance, were called to the scene at roughly 1.50pm, but Janet Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene.
The trial continues.