Murder trial: Accused breaks down in tears as he describes night of partner’s death

Erroll Anglin, 50, finished giving evidence by recalling his version of events from the night of December 11, 2012 when Christine Haye-Levy, 36, died of multiple stab wounds.

The jury heard how an argument erupted between Mr Anglin and his partner over the cost of electricity and the television remote control at Jervis Close in Daventry. Mr Anglin said that during the course of the argument he had picked up what he thought was a wooden spoon in order to prevent Ms Haye-Levy hitting him with a glass wrapped in a blanket.

Mr Anglin said: “I didn’t want her to die and it’s all so stupid and I really miss her.

“Everything about it is just stupid, I just can’t believe how it happened, I say it I just can’t believe it and when I think about it, it’s like a dream.”

Ms Haye-Levy sustained multiple stab wounds including a 12cm one just below her collar bone puncturing her lung and one to the cheek. It appears she died on the pavement outside Grenville Close after leaving her home through the dining room window.

In tears, Mr Anglin said: “I didn’t mean to cause her any harm whatsoever I just wanted her to leave me alone, I didn’t want her to die I didn’t even want her to get a cut or anything.”

When asked how he felt about what happened that night, Mr Anglin said: “It was very stupid, I’m very sorry, I’m not a killer.”

He added: “If I could turn back to that night I would go and sleep in the street and let her hit me and do anything she wanted to do to me.”

During his evidence Mr Anglin told the jury how he had been chased around the house three to four times by Ms Haye-Levy who was hitting him. He then said he collided with a kitchen surface and grabbed what he thought was a spoon as he had been using one in the kitchen earlier that day.

Prosecuting, Matthew Lowe, asked Mr Anglin if during the course of the argument he had glanced down to check what he was holding, Mr Anglin replied that he had not.

Mr Anglin said Ms Haye-Levy’s injuries had come from the couple slipping on a lose rug in the living room/hallway area and Ms Haye-Levy falling onto the knife.

Mr Lowe asked: “If you were holding the item at arms length why didn’t you see what you were holding in your hands?”

Mr Anglin replied that he had been looking only into Ms Haye-Levy’s face and hadn’t looked at what he was holding.

Mr Lowe told Mr Anglin he believed what he was saying to be nonsense.

He said:”What I suggest Mr Anglin is that on that night in one of your heated arguments with Christine she told you she had had enough, she wanted to end this unhappy relationship and during the course of the argument you deliberately took a knife and in anger used it repeatedily to attack her. And this suggestion that you collided with the counter and accidentally picked up a knife is nonsense.

“Your account of her hitting you is equally a nonsense.

“The injuries you sustained were due to her fighting back and she escaped whilst injured followed by you who dropped the knife just below the kitchen window.

“It may well be a few moments later that you regretted what you had done but at that time you were wilding that knife you had the intention to cause her very serious harm, didn’t you?”

Mr Anglin replied: “No, sir.”

The case continues.