'I was falling in love with her': Anne Rogers reached out to childhood friend before death
A Tasmanian man who had an extramarital relationship with a married Sydney woman has given evidence at the trial of her husband, who is accused of smothering her to death.
Warren Francis Rogers, 70, has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of his wife of four decades Anne Rogers, 61, in their Milperra home in September 2016.
In the NSW Supreme Court on Wednesday, Jeff Langham testified about his relationship with Ms Rogers, saying they caught the train together as teenagers in the late-1960s but reconnected when she sent him a Facebook friend request in 2013.
The messages grew from reminiscing about childhood to telephone calls, and Skype and FaceTime conversations, sometimes every second day, Mr Langham said.
"I said that I was falling in love with her, that I wanted it to go further but I knew that she was married and she loved her kids ... and it just wasn't going to work," he said.
She made three trips to Tasmania in 2016, visiting him each time and at one stage saying her marriage "wasn't the best", he said.
Ms Rogers called him in mid-July to say her husband had been "scavenging" in her room and found their correspondence and "kicked her out" of the house.
He said he paid for her flight "to get away" from it all.
Crown prosecutor Nanette Williams asked: "What was the state of the relationship between you and Anne on the third trip?"
Mr Langham replied: "By then, we slept in the same bed, we just cuddled or held each other, kissed, no sexual relationship whatsoever, it was more like two friends consoling each other."
Earlier on Wednesday, the couple's son Grant Rogers gave evidence he had aspired to have a marriage like his parents, and throughout his childhood they were viewed as a "textbook family" by their local community.
In her opening address on Monday, Ms Williams said Rogers was "jealous and angry" when his wife continued "against his wishes" to contact Mr Langham after returning to their home following their brief separation.
Defence barrister Richard Pontello has asked the jury to consider the defence of substantial impairment by abnormality of mind, as Rogers became "very depressed" after learning of the extramarital relationship.
Mr Pontello has said there is no dispute his client "committed the act" causing Ms Rogers' death.
The trial continues.
AAP