A HUSBAND accused of murdering his wife told an estate agent he would rather harm her than lose money in their divorce, a jury heard.

The claim was made during the prosecution’s case against David Maggs who killed Linda Maggs in her bed.

Christopher Davis, a partner at Newport estate agent Davis & Sons, told Cardiff Crown Court he visited the Maggs’ house in Pontypool in the summer of 2020.

He went to Lansdowne, Sebastopol, on July 20 for an appointment to value the property.

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David Maggs

Mr Davis told the jury of how he and the defendant sat at a patio table in the back garden and that a chain-smoking Maggs seemed “very unhappy” the house was being put up for sale.

READ MORE: Everything we know so far about the Linda Maggs murder trial

The witness said: “He said he would rather harm her than go through the split and him lose what he had.”

The estate agent went on to say how he and Maggs then went into the house for him to have a look around the property.

Mr Davis said there was a woman in one of the upstairs bedrooms who he assumed was the defendant’s wife.

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He told of how she had ignored him and “scuttled past” him and out of the room.

Maggs, 71, admits killing his 74-year-old wife last February after pleading guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Jurors have heard how the estranged couple had known each other since 1977 and had been together since 1988 before marrying in 2002.

But their relationship had deteriorated badly in recent years and they were living “separate lives” although still sharing the same house.

Michael Jones QC, prosecuting, said Maggs, who was going through his third divorce, murdered her a month before their separation was due to be finalised.

The defendant stabbed her 15 times after taking a kitchen knife up to her bedroom while she was still in bed.

Mrs Maggs suffered injuries to her neck, chest, stomach and arms before he called 999 to say: “I have just killed the wife.”

That emergency call was played to the jury during which he told the operator: “I just lost it, can you please come out, just help me… Um, God help me.”

The trial continues.