Diana Dafter death: Murder accused claimed he was 'evil and bad man'

A man stabbed his wife at their home before travelling by train to London, where he told a conductor he was "evil and a bad man", a court heard.

Diana Dafter, 36, was found dead at a property in Lawrence Court, Northampton, last October.

A jury heard Phillip Dafter, 32, had blood on his hands and abdomen and told the conductor at London Euston station "he wanted to see the police".

He has admitted manslaughter but denies murder at Northampton Crown Court.

Opening the prosecution's case, Mr Gordon Aspden KC said Ms Dafter was born and raised in Malawi before moving to the UK, where she met Mr Dafter who was from the same African country.

He said Mr Dafter had spent some time in the army before working as a bus and HGV driver.

The prosecutor said that from the outside the couple appeared "unremarkable", but behind the scenes it was very different.

There was an increasing atmosphere of resentment and ill will between the defendant and Ms Dafter who were on the verge of divorce, he said.

The court heard Mr Dafter attacked his wife "repeatedly" with a knife.

She had cuts on both her hands from pushing the knife away, the jury heard, and there was a deep stab wound to her heart.

The court was told that after the stabbing Mr Dafter drove to a supermarket to purchase a new set of knives after breaking the weapon.

As he left the home, he was said to have exchanged pleasantries with a neighbour, who said he was "his normal, happy, smiling self".

After returning to the Lower Mounts flat where Ms Dafter was dead or dying, the court heard he drank whisky and stabbed himself in the abdomen.

He changed his clothes and then CCTV showed he travelled to Northampton train station to board a service to London, the jury was told.

After arriving at London Euston, Mr Dafter, who was swaying and unsteady on his feet, was said to have told a train conductor "he wanted to see the police" because he was "evil and a bad man".

The defendant, who had blood on him, then told British Transport Police officers he had killed his wife, the court heard.

When Northamptonshire Police arrived at the couple's home, Ms Dafter was dead.

Mr Aspden KC told the court that she was "literally fighting for her life" and a doctor said her death was not necessarily immediate.

While being treated in hospital, Mr Dafter had a routine psychiatric mental health assessment and was said to have told a psychiatrist he had been driven to the event by his wife "going on and on at him", adding it was a "moment of madness".

He told the psychiatrist that on the morning of the killing he and his wife had a row over the car's MOT and he picked up a knife and stabbed her, the court heard.

The defendant was interviewed by police a week later, but exercised his right to silence and answered "no comment", the court was told.

The trial continues.

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