Husband murders wife with saucepan after she compares their marriage to an episode of BBC One's Doctor Foster
A husband killed his wife after she compared their marriage to BBC's television series Doctor Foster. Steven Grainger, 32, pounded his wife Simone Grainger with a saucepan on her head before she died. Steven and Simone have two kids.
The couple together since childhood argued frequently and things went down when she compared her life to Doctor Foster, a show on a woman suspecting her husband of having an affair.
Grainger later tried to order drugs and hire a prostitute. The attack allegedly happened on November 4 after their friends and family left the house and the children went to bed, says a report in the Daily Mail.
Grainger admits to killing his wife but denied murder, claiming he was acting in self-defense as she came towards him with a pair of scissors, the court read. The text messages on his phone suppose he was trying to order drugs and talk to a prostitute after his wife's death. Simone's body was found wrapped in a blanket on the kitchen floor.
Prosecutor Francis Gibbon QC said, "He hit her on the head more than once with a hard object, causing serious injury and he then went on to strangle her"
Gibbon added, "Simone died of head injuries and due to being strangled. The defendant admits that he killed her but we say he murdered her and intended to or, at the very least, intended to cause her serious bodily harm. It was unlawful, he had no lawful excuse and no legal defense. That makes it murder. It is on us to prove that this is the case."
Mrs. Grainger told her friends about her violent and abusive love life to her friends hours before the alleged murder. Prosecutor Gibbon said "she told her friends that she and Mr. Grainger had sex the night before"
"She said it was a bit like something from an episode of Doctor Foster. Despite Mrs. Grainger’s anger and frustration, they maintained a degree of intimacy." Grainger allegedly sent his wife a message on the morning of November 3 which said, " I think if we argue again then we will sort it out in the bedroom like last night xxx"
The couple had been together for a long time but only moved in together recently, the court heard.
The couple had two children- a ten-year-old son Harley and a seven-year-old daughter Taya, the family moved into a house in Calcot, near Reading in July last year. Mrs. Grainger was enraged at her husband for disappearing on a trip to a Center Parcs and ruining their child's birthday.
In a statement to police, Mr. Grainger said on the evening of November 3 he was home watching a video with his child while his wife was socializing with two of her friends. Later, the friends left and the couple watched a movie and had sex. He added, "Simone went upstairs to bed, and I stayed downstairs and watched TV. Simone came downstairs and started shouting at me, calling me a f***ing weirdo"
"I was still lying down on the sofa. She tried to hit me but I moved out of the way and grabbed her hands" he added.
"She went to the kitchen and came back with scissors and made stabbing motions at me. She told me, “why don’t you kill yourself!” I grabbed her in a chokehold. I wasn’t trying to hurt her. I held her for about 30 seconds, then she started to feel heavy. I let her go"
"I went upstairs to bed, then came down at about 5.30am to go to work and found her, feeling cold. I wrapped her in the blanket that was over her."
Mrs. Grainger body was found by her cousin Karima Dernawi when she got worried and let herself inside with a key. The saucepan found near Mrs. Grainger 's body was covered in blood. Forensic reports said the tests matched her's.
Detectives went on a major investigation to find Grainger, he was later found in his mother's home several miles away. When caught by the officers, he said " I don't know why you are here" and denied the murder.
The trial is still underway.