An estate agent who killed his wife after arguing with her about a lesbian affair she had with one of their friends’ daughters has been found guilty of murder.
David Clark’s wife Melanie had also teased him about his genitalia before the row turned violent shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve.
The former military medic stabbed his South-African born wife in the chest with a cook’s knife and then dialled 999, confessing: ‘I’ve killed my wife. She did my head in.’
David Clark murdered his wife Melanie during a blazing row on New Year’s Eve
Mr Clark said his wife had taunted him about his penis and a lesbian encounter she had before he attacked her
Mrs Clark, 44, who had four children from a previous relationship, was pronounced dead at the couple’s home just after midnight.
Minutes later her two sons aged 22 and 19 returned from a party to find police swarming over their house.
Clark was arrested in blood-soaked pyjamas on his 49th birthday at the three-bedroom, semi-detached property in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.
Jurors at Birmingham Crown Court were told the couple had been married for ten years but had a turbulent relationship.
Clark faces a mandatory life sentence after he was found guilty of murder today
Both of them had engaged in extramartial affairs and Mrs Clark had even made her husband sign a contract giving her permission to sleep with other people.
They had no children together but she had two boys and two girls from her previous relationship.
On New Year’s Eve they had drunk three bottles of Prosecco between them as they celebrated at a friend’s house.
They had also downed spirits and played a drinking game version of Snakes and Ladders, which involved downing shots of whiskey, before returning home.
Mr Clark told the court that, on the night of the attack, his wife had taunted him about her lesbian encounter she had with a friend’s daughter, Katie Bastians, two days before.
She bragged about ‘seeing Katie in her sexy underwear’, the court heard, and taunted him about about the size of his penis.
Prosecutor Benjamin Aina QC told the court: ‘Even before they were married, she had made comments that he had a “small d**k”. He had a complex about it.’
Clark stabbed Melanie death in order to ‘teach her the ultimate lesson’, prosecutors said, and dialled 999.
Mrs Clark’s two sons came home on the night of the murder to find police at the scene
Clark asked police to kill him and said he was going to blow himself up after stabbing his wife
After calling police, Clark tried to kill himself with gas and begged officers to kill him when they arrived
Following the jury’s verdict today, Justice Stephen Morris said: ‘David Clark, you have been convicted of murder by this jury. Sentencing will be on July 12 at 2pm.
‘The mandatory sentence for murder is life imprisonment. On July 12 I will set the minimum term you have to serve.’
Mrs Clark and her husband had a blazing row on the night he stabbed her, the court heard
After the case, Detective Chief Inspector Neil Jamieson, from West Mercia Police, said: ‘This was a tragic, senseless crime which has devastated Melanie’s family and has left her children to grow up without a mother.
‘I hope the outcome of today’s proceedings will provide a small sense of closure for Melanie’s family, who have shown tremendous resilience and courage in dealing with this tragedy.
‘My thoughts remain with them as they continue to rebuild their lives, and I would ask that their privacy is respected at this difficult time.
‘I would like to thank all of the officers and staff involved within this investigation, who have worked tirelessly to ensure that David Clark was brought before the courts and will now face justice for his actions.’
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