SUB-POSTMASTER Robin Garbutt was facing mounting debt problems at the time he allegedly beat his wife to death, a jury was told yesterday.

Despite earning less than £20,000 in 2009-10, Mr Garbutt and wife Diana went on a string of luxury breaks.

Teesside Crown Court heard that, in July 2009, the couple spent £1,206 on a four-night stay at The Devonshire Arms, Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire.

They returned to the hotel and spa the following month for a three-night break costing £844.

On day nine of Mr Garbutt’s trial for his wife’s murder, Detective Constable Karen Barugh, from Richmond CID, told the court that the couple went on five other breaks together in 2009.

The couple were due to go on a £3,000 three-week trip to the US the week after the murder, the court also heard.

The court also heard from Teresa Bentley, North Yorkshire Police financial investigator.

She told the court that Mr Garbutt had six credit cards, all with large and increasing balances, as well as a HSBC account that was always overdrawn.

The account for the store at The Village Shop and Post Office, in Melsonby, was also consistently overdrawn, she said.

A third joint account had a balance of about £6,000.

Mrs Bentley said this account was used to pay off a credit card in Mrs Garbutt’s name, used to pay for shop stock.

At the time of her death, that card had a deficit of about £6,000, the court heard.

Mrs Bentley said: “On all the credit cards, they weren’t in arrears, regular payments were being made. However, it was only the minimum monthly payment.”

The jury was told that the shop had a turnover of about £207,000 in 2009-10, yet made a profit of only £4,124.

Mrs Garbutt also received a sub-postmistress’ income of £14,500.

Despite this modest salary, cash payments totalling more than £17,000 were made to the couple’s accounts in the four months before the murder, Mrs Bentley said.

The court heard that the couple bought the post office and shop for £153,000 in May 2003, but the business was put back on the market in 2006 for £450,000.

Under cross-examination from Jamie Hill, for Mr Garbutt, Mrs Bentley agreed that the couple’s assets outstripped their debts.

Mr Garbutt, 45, denies beating his unfaithful wife to death in her bed on March 23, last year, and blaming the attack on an armed robber.

The trial continues.