A man accused of murdering his partner says he has no memory of the fatal attack until he was ‘standing over her body’ with a knife in his hand.

Harry Turner admits killing his estranged wife, Sally, when she suffered 68 stab wounds but denies murdering the 50-year-old in her daughter’s County Durham home.

The 54-year-old told Teesside Crown Court that his wife had whispered to him that he would ‘never see the girls again’ but maintained that he does not recollect stabbing her to death.

Giving evidence, he said: “After she said that there’s been many times where I’ve tried to remember what happened, but I can’t. The next thing I remember is standing over her body and I didn’t know if she was dead or alive. I had a knife in my hand, I didn’t even know which knife it was.”

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The court heard how the couple were the legal guardians of Mrs Turner’s two grandchildren on condition they were a reliable couple but she had begun an affair with the taxi driver who took one of them to school every day.

Jurors were told 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, where he claims she made the ‘never see the girls again’ comment.

The Northern Echo: Sally TurnerSally Turner

The defendant added: “When I was standing above her, I had a knife in my right hand and she was laying, one arm outstretched. I didn’t see a wedding ring there.

“The first time I realised it wasn’t on my hand was when I was behind Iceland. She wasn’t moving and I just stood there in shock.”

Andrew Ford KC, defending, asked his client whether he intended to hurt his wife.

He said: “No, I have never hurt her.”

When asked what happened next, he added: “I put the knife in the kitchen. Not sure if I said anything to Sally or not. I went to the living room and had one cigarette possibly and thought ‘I’ve got to get help’ and left the house.

“I remember crossing the road and I knew there was blood on me. I knew I had to change clothes because I had blood on me and I had to get help. I think I went upstairs into the bathroom and washed my hands and changed my top.”

Mr Ford asked: “You’ve admitted to the jury Sally’s manslaughter, do you remember doing this?”

Turner replied: “No.”

Mr Ford: “Did you intend to harm her or to murder her?”

Turner: “No, I never ever hurt her.”

Mr Ford: “How do you feel?”

Turner, tearfully, replied: “Lost, I just feel lost.”

The defendant had admitted that he used recording devices to try to prove that his wife was having an affair.

Under cross examination, Mark McKone KC, prosecuting, quizzed Turner about his reaction to the revelation about his wife having an affair with the taxi driver.

He asked: “Do you regard Sally as having been unfaithful to you?”

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Turner replied: “The unfaithful part didn’t come into it. When she ended the relationship, did I think she was being unfaithful? No.”

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.