The pest controller accused of murdering his mother-in-law has been branded a sex pest by his estranged wife, a jury has heard.

Simon Childs, 52, has denied starting the blaze at the family home in Spitfire Road in West Malling in which 65 year old Jackie Allen died.

Estranged wife Mandy gave evidence at the murder trial from behind screens in the witness box at Maidstone Crown Court.

She claimed that her 16 year marriage came to an end shortly before the blaze in November last year and Childs was living at a house nearby.

Mrs Childs said he was a pest controller and kept two Harris Hawks in aviaries behind the semi-detached house, which were used in his work.

She alleged that Childs and her mother-in-law “never liked each other” and she rarely visited when he was living at the property.

Prosecutor Caroline Carberry QC asked: “In recent years how would you describe your relationship with your husband?”

She replied: “Not great. There wasn’t much conversation between us. In my view it was strained for quite a few months. I was unhappy”

Ms Carberry asked: “Was there anything that happened which changed things?”

Mrs Childs replied: “He became a sex pest. I was very unhappy and telling him (that) would just make him angry.”

She alleged that in October last year she had gone to bed and Childs arrived and began performing a sex act on himself.

“I just got up and went downstairs and he followed me downstairs and slapped me around the back of the head . I was absolutely shocked. It really hurt.”

She alleged she then took the car keys and left the house and was later told by Childs that he had stabbed himself although at that time she didn’t believe him.

Mrs Childs added that her husband and her mother “didn’t have a relationship..because they didn’t like each other".

She also revealed that on another occasion “after he kept collapsing” she drove him to Maidstone Hospital but “he kept on behaving horribly to me”.

She alleged Childs threw a bottle of drink at her and on the journey home recorded the incident on her mobile phone.

Childs, of Mosquito Road, West Malling, has denied murder, attempted murder and arson.

The trial continues.

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