Wife’s lover denies throat slashing

A MAN collapsed and died after his throat was slashed by his estranged wife’s new boyfriend, a murder trial jury was told yesterday.

Mark Webb had called at a house in Stuart Road, Acomb, York where his wife Susan and children were visiting, Richard Mansell QC prosecuting told Leeds Crown Court.

“He was in drink and aggressive and demanded to see his children.”

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Brian Cox, who was by then in a relationship with Susan Webb, came out “armed with a Stanley knife” and stopped Mr Webb when he tried to get in through the back door.

Mr Mansell said: “In the ensuing struggle, he used the knife quite deliberately to inflict a very deep wound to the neck of Mr Webb which severed his jugular vein.”

Although Mr Webb, 40, was able to stagger back to his former matrimonial home nearby in Middleton Road, once there he collapsed and died within minutes.

Mr Mansell told the jury it was the Crown’s case Susan Webb subsequently washed blood from the scene of the attack, disposed of or cleaned the murder weapon and made a false witness statement to the police after the incident leading to charges against her.

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Cox’s former partner Dawn Coates was also later arrested after she washed the jacket he was wearing at the time of the incident.

Cox, 29, of Bede Avenue, Clifton, York, denies murdering Mr Webb, of Cornlands Road, York, on March 4.

Webb, 30, denies three charges of doing acts intending to pervert the course of justice and Coates, 49, of Chapel Terrace, York, denies one charge of doing an act intending to pervert the course of justice.

Mr Mansell said Webb had four children with her husband and had lived with him until 2009 when the marriage broke down and he moved out “against a background of domestic violence.”

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Cox had lived with Coates, with whom he had a son, until November last year. Although Coates had taken out a non-molestation order against him they spoke and met so he could see his son.

He told police he had been in a relationship with his co-accused Webb for some weeks before March 4. He said he had fallen for her and they had discussed moving to Wales and starting a new life together.

A family support worker who visited Susan Webb on March 3 advised Cox not to confront Mr Webb but to phone the police if necessary and Cox said he would do so “unless Mark laid a finger on Susan”.

On the morning of March 4 Mr Webb sent his wife a text promising her a “nice surprise” later that day, plainly planning to visit his children.

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She sent him a text saying she had plans and was going to her friend’s house in Stuart Road and in reply he accused her of not letting him see the children.

Mr Mansell told the jury Mr Webb probably spent the following hours drinking – a blood alcohol reading after his death showed he had twice the legal driving limit in his system.

At 2.58pm he sent his wife a message saying not to blame him if “I kick off” and in a later text warned “if I have to lose my kids then you will too”.

By then Cox and Webb were in the yard at Hobmoor Primary School to collect her children and a grandmother stood nearby said she thought she heard the man look at a text message and say “he’s dead”.

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Susan Webb then sent a text to her estranged husband telling him she was “seein sum 1 else” and another saying “y don’t u jst do us all a fav and go die.”

A short time later Mr Webb turned up at Kelly Munton’s house wanting to see the children and it was then Cox “tussled” with him and his neck was slashed.

No ambulance was called for him at that stage but a police officer later found his body after following a trail of blood.

The trial continues.

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