Man jailed for poisoning wife with laxatives Published duration 7 March 2017

image caption David Smith was caught after staging a break-in at the couple's home

A "Walter Mitty character" who poisoned his wife with laxatives has been jailed for three and a half years.

David Smith, 62, a fantasist who claimed he was an ex-SAS hero, made Elizabeth Smith so ill she thought she was dying.

The sheriff in Ayr said Smith, from Telford, was guilty of a "prolonged and evil course of criminal conduct".

Smith had told his wife a string of lies, including that he carried out the SAS raid on the Iranian Embassy.

He was previously convicted of culpably and recklessly administering laxative substances over a three-year period from 2012-2015.

Sheriff John Montgomery said Smith's conduct had caused "physical and mental anguish" to his victim.

He made her so ill she said doctors believed she may have motor neurone disease.

Smith also falsely told his 62-year-old wife he owned a factory that made secret-component parts for the MoD and that his first wife was a professional ballerina who had died while carrying their unborn child.

His stories unravelled after he staged a break-in at their home.

When she first met him, Mrs Smith thought he was an "absolute gentleman".

"He was just a normal, lovely guy," she told BBC Scotland.

"He was a family man - a wonderful man who came across as so genuine and real."

She added: "He's a 100% 'Walter Mitty character'. He has got caught up completely in his web of lies.

"I want people to be aware that there are people like this out there and they are very, very dangerous men.

"He has taken away five years of my life. It's heartbreaking."