Berrow death: Pensioner who stabbed husband said he was a 'pain'

A pensioner who went on to stab her husband to death had previously described him as a "pain", a court has heard.

Penelope Jackson attacked 78-year-old David Jackson in their home in Berrow, Somerset, on 13 February this year.

Bristol Crown Court heard she had called police in December 2020 after her husband picked up a poker and smashed a conservatory window.

Mrs Jackson, 66, admits manslaughter but denies murder.

She claims her husband was coercive and controlling and also physically violent towards her.

The incident with the smashed window occurred on the day after Mr Jackson had an operation to have his pacemaker battery replaced, the court heard.

Mrs Jackson had locked him in the conservatory to calm down after they had a row about how to use the remote control, she said.

In her 999 call to police about this incident, she said: "I have just got bruises up my arms. He grabbed me and threatened me. I don't want to say anymore. It's not like him. He's just mad."

The jury heard that Mrs Jackson was upset when police arrived at her home. An officer told her the incident would be recorded as an assault and the couple should not be under the same roof that night.

She said her husband's behaviour was not so controlling that he would stop her from seeing people, but added "he is a pain".

The jury heard that a police violence abuse questionnaire which was filled out by an officer who attended the scene said that Jackson had not felt isolated, depressed or stalked.

When the officer telephoned her a few days later, Jackson said she and her husband had sorted out their problem and that and he was back to his normal self.

The trial continues.

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