An island woman was stabbed to death by her mother-in-law after telling her she was moving back to the Isle of Man and that she would never see her grandson again, a court has heard.
Heather Emmonds has admitted killing Tina Casey, 42, at her home in Holywell near Whitley Bay in February. She denies murder on the grounds of loss of control and diminished responsibility.
Newcastle Crown Court heard Ms Casey, nee Halsall, was planning to return to the island so Emmonds, 58, would lose touch with her young grandson.
The prosecution claims Emmonds twice tried to poison Ms Casey. And while her grandson was upstairs, Emmonds allegedly repeatedly stabbed Ms Casey.
Police became aware of the death after Emmonds, of Seaton Delaval, Northumberland, crashed her car on February 4. Officers found handwritten notes about the crime. In a note to police, she wrote: ‘I didn’t intend to kill Tina Casey, it was a moment of madness and impulse.’
Alistair MacDonald QC, prosecuting, said she planned the murder, taking a change of clothes and trying to burn bloodstained clothing.
Ms Casey’s mother married a Manxman and the family moved to the island when he came out of the Army. Ms Casey was born in Army barracks in Germany and moved to Tyneside from the island 16 years ago.
The trial continues.
