A HUSBAND has described to jurors the moment he stabbed his wife after “a red fog” descended on him.

Sandor Lakatos, 38, told Winchester Crown Court how the couple had argued and had suffered marital problems for several years beforehand, but that he had not intended to cause her serious harm.

Maria Szarvak, 37, was found at her home in Harcourt Road, Bitterne, on July 7 last year with nine wounds and a kitchen knife sticking out of her chest, the trial has heard.

The couple, both trained pharmacists and originally from Hungary, had moved to England in 2009.

Lakatos described a heated argument in the kitchen on the morning of July 7, which began after his wife told him to clear up his belongings. She had also told him she wouldn’t be joining him on a shopping trip to Gunwharf Quays as they had planned.

The court heard Lakatos had moved out of the house and had been living in Portsmouth since November 2009 but would visit the marital home. The couple had been talking about whether they would ever live together again, but agreed that if they separated they would move back to their native Hungary.

Giving evidence, Lakatos said: “She pushed me away and unfortunately I got out of myself and I reacted that way. A red fog had descended upon me. I remember I wanted to stop Maria and I remember I stabbed her, but I didn’t remember holding the knife in my hand.

“We argued before, but there was never any physical contact between us.”

Lakatos said he only remembered stabbing Maria once in the back and once in the chest.

Asked by Nigel Lickley QC, defending, what his intentions were, Lakatos said tearfully: “I never wanted to hurt my wife.”

Then asked what happened in that moment, Lakatos, who is now taking anti-depressants, said: “I can’t explain it, I don’t know.”

The court heard that after the stabbing he called police then drove to Barton on Sea.

At a Tesco store he bought a sandwich, an ice cream, a bottle of wine and cigarettes for what he said was a “last dinner” before going to the beach, wading into the sea, intending to drown. He later changed his mind.

Lakatos told Winchester Crown Court he had met his wife when they were both studying at university in Hungary, married in 2000 and before their move to England in 2009 they had been living in Szolnok.

He said that the couple had experienced difficulties around 2007 – he had had a one-night stand while in England on a course and claimed Maria had met a man in the Cayman Islands and also a man called Julian from New Zealand.

In the summer of 2008 they came to England when Lakatos said he was humiliated when Maria told him she wanted an open marriage so she could see other men.

Lakatos denies murder although he admits he killed Maria.

Proceeding.