Husband bludgeoned horse-mad wife to death after row over quality of her mashed potato

A husband killed his 'nagging' wife by clubbing her to death with a lump hammer after a row about mashed potato.

Colin Adlard, 61 snapped and repeatedly struck his wife Wendy with the hammer while she was in bed because she would not stop shouting at him and berating him.

The 59-year-old had been dozing in bed at about 5.30am - the morning after the argument about mashed potato - when Adlard went berserk and delivered the fatal blows.

Horror: Colin Adlard beat his wife Wendy to death with a hammer in their home, pictured, because he claimed she nagged him too much

He then called police and was arrested at the bungalow they had recently moved to in the quiet Northamptonshire village of Yardley Hastings.

Adlard later told officers he attacked her on January 7 because she would not stop nagging at him.

The strained couple were thought to have been leading almost separate lives by the time of her death.

He appeared at Leicester Crown Court yesterday and admitted her murder after initially entering a not guilty plea to the murder charge in April, claiming a defence of diminished responsibility. #

Wearing a grey sweater, white shirt and glasses, balding Adlard only spoke to confirm his name and guilty plea to the single murder charge.

Frantic attack: The row began over mashed potato and ended with the 61-year-old attacking his wife while she dozed in bed

Judge Charles Wide QC adjourned sentencing until later this month and remanded him in custody.

Adlard, who now faces a life sentence, is expected to present both psychiatric and psychological reports to the judge when he is sentenced.

His wife was semi-asleep when Adlard entered the room armed with a lump hammer and bludgeoned her, before calling for the emergency services.

The horse fanatic was struck a number of times with the heavy hammer, sustaining fatal head injuries, and was declared dead at Northampton General Hospital that day.

David Herbert, prosecuting, said in January that the sudden hammer attack was caused by Mrs Adlard 'shouting at him and nagging him over a long period of time'.

The couple were previously directors of Born Free Equine Health, a tack shop based in Old Stratford, Milton Keynes, which stopped trading shortly before her death.

A close friend of Mrs Adlard said at the time: 'Wendy was a really dear friend and helped me a lot when I needed it. She was an agony aunt to me when I was down and needed to chat. She was a retired nurse and when I had surgery she was kind to me.

'We used to have lots of discussions about the Olympic dressage horses and riders - anything dressage she was there.

'I hope where Wendy is now is a happy place with all the dressage horses in the world and loved to go to events to watch it.

'I just want people to know how lovely she was and I will never forget her, not ever.'



The couple were not well known in the village with many neighbours stating they 'kept themselves to themselves'.