A former UKIP councillor from Stowmarket accused of murdering his wife claims he was acting in self-defence, a court has heard.
Before Ipswich Crown Court is 64-year-old Stephen Searle who was arrested following the death of his wife Anne, 62, at their home in The Brickfields, Stowmarket on December 30 last year.
Searle, 64, has pleaded not guilty to murder.
Today the trial judge Mr Justice Green told the jury that Searle claimed that his actions which led to the death of his wife were in self-defence.
Searle stood for UKIP in the Suffolk County Council elections, securing a seat for Stowmarket South in May 2013.
Searle also ran as a UKIP candidate for the Central Suffolk and North Ipswich seat in a bid to become a member of Parliament in last year’s June general election.
The trial, which is expected to last seven days, continues.
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