A man accused of murdering his estranged wife when he stabbed her 68 times says her infidelity played no part in his actions on a fateful day.

Harry Turner maintains he has no recollection of his bloodied attack on her 50-year-old wife, Sally, but accepted that her telling him he would never see his grandchildren again was the trigger.

The 54-year-old carried out the knife attack in the County Durham home of Mrs Turner’s daughter as their marriage broke up in June 2021.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the postal worker had met his alleged victim for coffee before walking the house in Durham where he claims she whispered the threat in his ear.

Read more: Murder accused claims he has no recollection of ex-partner's fatal stabbing

Mark McKone KC, prosecuting, said the prosecution does not accept that the grandmother made that comment.

The Northern Echo: Sally TurnerSally Turner

During cross examination he asks: “If you did kill Sally by stabbing her, do you accept that was an overreaction by you to her saying you’d never see the children again?”

Turner replied: “I know there’s situations when there’s a trigger…people do silly things, like when a marriage comes to an end, people do commit suicide…I’d never hurt Sally, I never raised a hand to her. I don’t remember doing it.”

Mr McKone asked: “How angry were you?”

Turner replied: “I don’t know if I was angry, I was shocked for about two seconds and that’s as much as I can remember.”

Mr McKone asked: “Did Sally’s infidelity play any part in your reaction that day?”

Turner replies: “No.”

The prosecution barrister then quizzed the defendant about what he said in police interview.

Turner said he didn’t admit stabbing Sally in interview because he couldn’t remember it.

“I know I did it because I stood there afterwards, but I don’t remember,” he said. “When I was arrested, I told them several things. I was open to police. When I saw the solicitor, she told me to say no comment.”

Read next:

If you want to read more great stories, why not subscribe to your Northern Echo for as little as £1.25 a week. Click here

Jurors has heard that the couple had split up but on the day of the alleged murder they had met up for a coffee before returning to her daughter’s home on Cuthbert Avenue, Durham.

The defendant told the jury that their relationship had been a ‘rollercoaster’ in the months after Mrs Turner told him to move out of their marital home.

Turner, of Tiree Close, Brandon, denies murder but has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

The trial continues.