'Is that really what happened?' - Prosecution rubbishes explanation from murder accused over husband's death in Newport
Claims from a woman on trial for murdering her husband in Newport have been rubbished by the prosecution as it closed its case.
Julian Evans KC delivered his closing submissions in the trial of Amy Pugh at Stafford Crown Court.
Pugh, 34, of Stafford Road, Wolverhampton, has been on trial accused of the murder of her husband, Kyle Pugh.
She denies the charge.
Mr Pugh, who was 29, died at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital on Wednesday, March 23, 2022.
He had suffered neck compression injuries the night before at his wife's Newport home on Aston Drive.
The couple were separated at the time of his death.
The prosecution alleges Pugh and her husband fought before she caused the injuries to his neck.
Pugh says she found her husband on the back door of the house, where he had hanged himself with a belt after a row over whether his new girlfriend was pregnant or not.
Addressing the jury Mr Evans said that at the heart of the case was the 'toxic' relationship between the pair.
He said: "On any account their relationship was a troubled one. It was violent and it was also turbulent."
He added: "To put it another way the relationship between the two of them was toxic. It is a word you heard a number of witnesses describe their relationship as but also the very word that Amy Pugh used herself to describe the relationship."
Mr Evans said that the relationship was "abusive, on both sides, it was violent, with physical violence, one against the other".
He added: "It had become a sad and awful pattern, but it had become really quite normal."
