Husband takes the stand in murder trial

Andrew Parsons, 38, gave details of a fatal struggle as he took the stand for the first time in the trial at Oxford Crown Court.

He has denied murdering his beautician wife Janee at their home in Lucerne Avenue on December 1 last year after she told him she wanted to start a new life with another man.

The Easington Sports footballer described how an argument escalated into a physical fight between the couple, with her hitting him in the face with a mobile phone, and him punching her.

He said he had then gone to fetch a towel for his wife, who had “blood or saliva” coming out of her mouth.

A kitchen knife being used to unpack boxes of Christmas decorations had been left on a table outside the bedrooms, the court heard.

Parsons said: “As I turned the corner I could see the knife and just wanted to disarm her and get the knife. I lunged towards her from the top of the stairs.

“She swung the knife towards me and cut me on the hand.”

He added: “When she went for the knife and she swung at me I just completely lost control.”

He said he had not intended to kill his wife.

Earlier, Parsons had told the court how he was “devastated” after his American-born wife told him she was seeing someone else.

The couple had been sleeping in separate rooms after Mrs Parsons told her husband she was unhappy in the marriage and wanted a divorce.

Miranda Moore QC, prosecuting, asked Parsons why he had not tried to help his wife as she lay dying from more than a dozen stab wounds.

“After you stabbed Janee she lay there for seven minutes before you left the house. You didn’t try to help her once, did you?”

“I can’t explain what I was doing,” said Parsons.

The trial continues.