Woman accused of murdering her estranged husband in Newport is found guilty
A woman has been found guilty of murdering her estranged husband in her Newport home.
Amy Pugh, aged 34, has been on trial at Stafford Crown Court for the murder of her spouse Kyle Pugh.
She denied the charge, claiming that she discovered Mr Pugh, outside the back of the family home in Aston Drive, Newport, hanging from his belt.
However, the jury did not buy her version of events, and after around eight hours of deliberations, found her guilty of Mr Pugh's murder.
Judge Kristina Montgomery KC set a sentencing date of Friday, September 5 and remanded Pugh in custody.
Over the course of the six-week trial, the jury heard how paramedics were called to the property on the evening of March 22, 2022. Mr Pugh, aged 29, died in hospital the next day. He had suffered a fatal compression injury to the neck.
A post mortem also found fractures to his nose and eye socket.
Amy Pugh, who was separated from her husband at the time of the alleged attack, was charged with his murder in November last year.
The court was told the couple had a “volatile, turbulent and abusive” relationship which would involve physical violence to each other and was often fuelled by drink or drugs.
Following the incident in March 2022, Pugh said that she had gone into the kitchen to let the dog out of the back door when she saw her husband hanging by his belt.
She claimed she dragged him into the house and tried to wake him up by slapping him in the face, which she said is what caused the injuries to Mr Pugh's face.
Prosecution KC Mr Julian Evans, told the jury that Pugh's version of events was a “fabrication” and that she had caused the fatal injury after “overpowering” her former husband following a fight in the kitchen, which Pugh denies.
The jury had heard that Pugh waited 20 minutes before phoning an ambulance after discovering her former husband at 8.45pm, instead she called her father and did not dial 999 until 9.05pm.
She also answered a call from Mr Pugh's new girlfriend who had phoned his mobile at 8.55pm, telling her: “He’s my husband, he is never coming back, this is where he is staying.”
Pugh said she had no recollection of the call nor did she know where Mr Pugh's phone had since gone following his death – it has never been recovered.
