Anti-freeze poisoning: Husband tells court of his ordeal

Jan 18 2008

Kate Knight

A HUSBAND left blind and deaf after he was allegedly poisoned with anti-freeze in a glass of wine told a jury yesterday he did not know his wife had done it until his mother told him.

Lee Knight, 37, who also suffered brain damage and kidney failure from the poisoning, was giving evidence on the ninth day of the trial of his wife, Kate, of Dovedale Court, Garrick Avenue, Moreton, Wirral.

The 28-year-old has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder between January and April, 2005, at the family home in Waterdale Grove, Meir Hay, Stoke.

Mr Knight, who was accompanied by two carers, who would write words on the palm of his hand with a finger if he could not understand a question, was asked by Mr Michael Gledhill, QC, defending, if he remembered people telling him she was responsible.

He replied: “Yes, including my mum. She told me that Katie had tried to poison me with anti- freeze. I don't think it was straight away that I was told.”

Mr Gledhill asked: “You had no idea whether Katie had tried to poison you or not?” Mr Knight replied: “No.”

Mr Knight said he was in hospital for six months and “very seriously ill and told I was in a coma for 16 weeks or so. When I came round, I had no idea what happened to get me in hospital. Not a clue.”

Mr Knight agreed with Mr Gledhill that he did not appreciate until he came round that his wife had done anything to cause his illness.

“I can remember bad stomach cramps and pain before I went into hospital. Katie came with me to see the doctor. He told me to go home and drink as much fluid as I could but I kept being sick.Katie was concerned about my illness and went to hospital with me.”

Mr Knight said he discussed with his wife that he thought he was ill because he had drunk too much Coca-Cola.

He said he could not remember if his wife looked up on the internet about caffeine poisoning. “She liked looking things up on the internet,” he said.

Mr Gledhill asked if he could remember asking his wife to get some anti-freeze before he went into hospital, but he said: “No. I don't know anything about anti-freeze.”

Mr William Davis, QC, prosecuting, claimed Mr Knight was poisoned by his wife who put anti-freeze in a glass of wine.

He said: “She considered more than one way to kill him but her final choice was to put anti-freeze in his drink. She very nearly succeeded. He suffered kidney failure and brain damage and is deaf and blind. Her motive was financial and she had run up large debts. Her husband's life cover would be the solution to her financial woes.”

Sarah Johnson, a near neighbour friend, said in evidence that Mrs Knight spoke to her about her relationship with her husband.

She said: “She talked about ecstasy tablets being put in his drink. She said she had a very unhappy relationship. She wanted life insurance of about £250,000 from his employer, JCB. I always thought she was fantasising. She spoke about a hit man who would get paid for knocking someone off. She said there would be £50,000 paid for someone to do the job.”

The trial continues.