A SUFFOLK woman beaten to death with a hammer by her husband after a row about her relationship with another man had an affair 11 years earlier, it was alleged yesterday.

By Jane Hunt

jane.hunt@eveningstar.co.uk

A SUFFOLK woman beaten to death with a hammer by her husband after a row about her relationship with another man, had an affair 11 years earlier, it has been alleged.

Christine Dorey had become pregnant as a result of that affair only a few years after she had married Colin Dorey and she had moved out of the matrimonial home, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

However, that relationship with an apprentice chef who had worked with her and Dorey at Trinity College, Cambridge had not worked out and she and Dorey had been reconciled.

Dorey had been at the birth of the baby in 1990 and he told police officers after his arrest for killing his wife that he had brought up the little girl as his own alongside the son and daughter he and Christine went on to have together.

He said although the fact that his wife had someone else's baby had been a bitter pill to swallow, he had trusted her and believed her when she said she wanted to be with him.

Yesterday, on the second day of Dorey's trial for the murder of his 37 year-old wife, the jury heard his account, given in police interviews, of the events that led to him striking her at least 10 times over the head with a hammer while she was resting on the settee in their lounge on January 3.

He had become suspicious that she was having another affair last year after she became friendly with a man called Andrew Dell who had worked with her at Tesco.

He told officers that at that time his wife was acting like she had been 11 years earlier when she had her first affair.

"She was cutting me out and being someone I didn't know," he said.

Dorey said that Christmas 2001 had been "terrible" and they had made the best of things for the sake of their children. At that stage he was still hoping they would be able to save their marriage.

Relationship

However, just over a week later on January 3 Dorey had returned home to find his wife on the telephone to Mr Dell and this had caused an atmosphere between them because she had said she wouldn't telephone him.

After the children had gone to bed Dorey said they had had a "quiet" row during which they discussed her relationship with Mr Dell.

Dorey said that his wife told him that if Mr Dell had been single she would have run off with him at the drop of a hat.

She then said that getting back with Dorey after her affair 11 years earlier had been a "terrible mistake".

Dorey told Police that at that stage he could "see all my life falling to bits. Everything I'd worked for falling to bits," and he had flipped.

He said he could remember getting a hammer he had bought earlier in the day to demolish a play house in the garden out of a bag and going into the lounge where his wife was resting on the settee.

He couldn't remember what happened next as his mind was blank: "I must have hit her but I don't really remember," he said.

After leaving the house he had dialled 999 and confessed that he had killed his wife.

Dorey has denied murdering his wife but admits manslaughter. However, that plea had not been accepted by the prosecution.

The trial continues today.