Wife who threw boiling water over her husband’s mistress

A scorned wife who threw boiling water over her husband’s mistress was so distressed she may not have been in control of her actions, a court has heard.

Monika Fourie walked in on her Royal Marine husband Wouter with his lover Hannah Stokes, 24, in their lounge while their young child was upstairs at their home in Plymouth, Devon.

Fourie, 34, had told the court during her evidence she felt like someone was ‘stabbing her in the head’ after discovering Ms Stokes at her home.

Her husband had confessed to the four-month affair one day earlier. 

Plymouth Crown Court heard Fourie first poured a mug and then a kettle of boiling water over the head and chest of Ms Stokes, leaving her with burns.

She was treated for second degree partial thickness burns down to her navel and had surgery for a perforated eardrum.

But Fourie’s judgement may have been severely impaired for the two to three minutes around the time of the attack, a jury heard.

Medical experts said she could have been suffering from amnesia and may have been telling the truth when she told the court she had no memory at all of the incident.

Fourie has admitted causing grievous bodily harm to her love rival following the incident on October 24, 2015 but denies it was done with intent.

Dr Frank Farnham, consultant forensic psychiatrist, described Fourie’s situation as ‘highly emotionally charged’.

Monika Fourie walked in on her Royal Marine husband Wouter (left, outside court) with his lover Hannah Stokes, 24 (right)

Fourie’s judgement may have been severely impaired for the two to three minutes around the time of the attack, a jury heard

He said: ‘It seems to me that on the 24th, before entering the house, Mrs Fourie was already suffering from some mental health issues that had arisen in the days before when she learned the news that her husband had affairs.

‘Her husband was her first sexual partner, she’s come from a different country, she doesn’t have the same support structure in place in terms of family, but she did have some friends. She is quite naive; emotionally naive and sexually naive.

‘In my opinion she is experiencing acute anxiety and disassociation. I am referring to individuals under extreme stress who experience a disruption in the connection between thoughts, memories and actions.

‘It is relatively common for offenders of violent crime to claim they have amnesia. This is a controversial subject.

‘In some of these cases amnesia is genuine, one of the problems psychiatrists have is that there is no test.’

Dr Farnham said he believed that Fourie was ‘not in her normal state’ at the time of the attack.

He added: ‘She has probably developed a depressive adjustment reaction. A reaction to a life event – it could be a bereavement or separation – that leads to depressive symptoms.

Ms Stokes (pictured arriving at Plymouth Crown Court), was treated for second degree partial thickness burns down to her navel and had surgery for a perforated eardrum

Royal Marine Wouter Fourie (pictured leaving court), had confessed to the four-month affair one day earlier

Dr Farnham told Plymouth Crown Court (pictured) that he believed that Fourie was ‘not in her normal state’ at the time of the attack

‘She told me, “I still thought we could get back together. I never thought she would be in my house. I could see women’s shoes and she was sitting on my sofa.

‘I felt shocked and confused, I didn’t know what was happening, I had never felt like that before.”

‘It seems to me that in those two or three minutes she was not in her normal state.

‘In my view, if she was in the mental state I think she was in, her ability to properly evaluate the material and come to a reasonable decision was markedly impaired.

‘In my vote she was in a highly abnormal mental state at the time.’

After further medical evidence this afternoon, the prosecution and defence are expected to give their closing statements before the jury retires to consider a verdict.

The trial continues.