Man tells court how murder accused threatened wife

Jun 18 2008 by Chloe Griffiths, Liverpool Daily Post

Daniel Breaks (200)

A FORMER probation officer broke down as he told how he feared his wife would be killed by alleged murderer Daniel Breaks.

Social worker Charles Heaps told a jury how Breaks held a knife over his wife Joy’s head after binding her hands together.

Breaks, 48, is accused of falsely imprisoning and kidnapping the couple from County Durham after murdering his sister Gwyneth’s partner Simon Sutton.

A jury at Liverpool Crown Court has heard Breaks launched a fatal attack on eight-stone Mr Sutton in the belief the alcoholic had “grassed” on his plot to blackmail HSBC bank.

It is alleged he ordered weakly-built Mr Sutton, 40, and his sister Gwyneth to beg for mercy in their Argyle Street South flat, Birkenhead.

Breaks then beat Mr Sutton with a pool cue until it broke and then stamped on his body until he lost consciousness on April 8 last year.

It is alleged Breaks, of Hallville Road, Mossley Hill, then fled to the home of the Heaps, in Chester-le-Street, making a partial confession.

When the couple, who had previously allowed him to stay at their home, refused to guarantee confidentiality his mood turned.

Mr Heaps broke down as he said: “My wife shouted at him, she was obviously exceedingly cross.

“He then went across with the knife raised and I thought he was going to kill her.”

The social worker then recounted how Breaks ordered them into their car and took them on a nightmare journey through the night.

Breaks denies murder, blackmail, two counts of false imprisonment and two charges of kidnapping.

The case continues.