UK - The wealthy businessman accused of murdering his wife after listing ways to dispose of her body yesterday admitted attacking her in a rage.
Martin Hale, 52, said he hit wife Maureen several times after bugging her car and hearing her say she never loved him.
The jury heard the attack left her with a bloody nose and a sprained neck. Mrs Hale, 42, disappeared on June 22, 1999 - 10 days after she filed a divorce petition in which she said she lived in fear of her husband, the court heard. (more)
Defending, Richard Christie asked: 'Did you kill your wife?' Mr Hale, wearing a dark suit and pale blue shirt, calmly replied: 'No'.
He denied offering a friend £20,000 to hire an incinerator at a pet crematorium a month after his wife disappeared.
The company director, who ran a fruit and veg importing business, also denied borrowing a shovel from work to dispose of her body. (more)
