Jury told man killed his wife in fire

A "domineering and selfish man" from near Market Drayton killed his wife by locking her in a room and setting fire to the area outside it, a jury heard today.

Mother-of-four Anita Stead, 39, was trapped inside a room in the garage of the home she shared with Alan Stead in May 2002.

Stead, 41, now of Meymellfield, Loggerheads, denies murder.

Jurors at Stafford Crown Court today heard Stead had planned his wife's death.

Mr Stephen Linehan QC, prosecuting, told jurors at the opening of the trial today: "The defendant, Alan Stead, was her husband until her killed her in May 2002.

"He planned her death and he carried it out in accordance with his plan.

"He did it by locking her into a room which had been built inside the garage of their house and then setting fire to the area outside that room. She was trapped. There was no way out of the room, the only doorway was locked.

"The fire was very intense and produced great quantities of poisonous gases."

Mr Linehan said Stead had pretended he had tried to rescue his wife.

"He claimed he had woken up to find the fire raging and his wife Anita missing. He pretended he had tried to rescue her and he had been injured in the attempt," he said.

"None of this is true, he killed her, that's the prosecution case."

He said Stead said he loved his wife and that in the period leading up to the fire at their home in Slindon Close, Waterhayes, Newcastle-under-Lyme, the couple had shared some of the best times in their marriage.

The trial continues.