Taxi driver accused of trying to murder wife 'was sleepwalking'
John Docherty has gone on trial accused of attacking Eileen with a knife at their home in Glasgow.
A taxi driver accused of trying to kill his wife of 37 years claims he was sleepwalking at the time.
John Docherty has gone on trial accused of attacking Eileen at their home in Penilee, Glasgow, in December 2009.
Mrs Docherty has backed her husband's claim, saying he would not have "knowingly" assaulted her.
The 57-year-old, who appeared at The High Court in Glasgow on Monday, is accused of attempting to murder her by repeatedly striking her with a knife, leaving her permanently scarred.
Docherty's legal team have lodged a special defence claiming Docherty, who has a history of sleepwalking, was acting "during the onset of somnambulism".
Mrs Docherty told the jury how the couple wed in 1974 and that they had a "very happy, loving marriage".
She recalled his behaviour changing in mid-2009 with him becoming stressed and agitated.
The saleswoman said: "He was not himself. He was not sleeping or eating. He lost three stone in weight. He began to question where I was going and wanted to know who I was speaking to on the phone. He had never done that before."
Docherty, a hackney cab driver, eventually went to see his doctor and the court heard he showed some signs of improvement.
The couple then made plans to visit America and go on a cruise to Mexico.
The jury heard that on December 13 2009, the day before the alleged attack, they spent the afternoon putting up Christmas decorations.
They later met friends and went to a bar in Renfrew before returning home around midnight.
Mrs Docherty made them burgers and she eventually went to her bed leaving her husband downstairs. She said everything at that time was "absolutely fine".
The 56-year-old then recalled waking up with Docherty, whom she called Ian, standing at the side of the bed.
Mrs Docherty: "His eyes were open. There were always like that when he was sleepwalking. They were starey and glassy."
She said he was holding a knife that she had earlier used to cut bread. Mrs Docherty asked what he was doing, but he gave no reply.
The mother-of-two told the jury: "It all happened so very fast. I tried to get the knife from him. There was a struggle. I grabbed hold of the blade with two hands. It was just sheer panic."
She added: "I think I was just screaming. I was on the floor and the next thing I remember was the paramedics being there. I remember them saying they were there to help."
Neck and face injuries
Mrs Docherty, who spent nine days in hospital, suffered scars to her face and neck.
She later told prosecutor Laura Thomson that she had known her husband to sleepwalk since they had married. She said he had once left the house barefoot and walked for three miles before having to get a taxi home.
Miss Thomson asked: "Has he ever picked up a knife before in his sleep?" Mrs Docherty replied: "No."
She also said she loved her husband "very much" despite what had happened.
Mrs Docherty said she had visited the accused every day in prison while on remand adding she eventually wanted him to return home.
She told the jury: "I basically know that he was asleep. There is no way that Ian would have done this knowingly."
She said no medical help had ever been sought for his conditon but that his condition worsened when the couple went on holiday as he got stressed about flying.
Mrs Docherty said she was forced to lock room doors to stop him escaping.
Docherty denies a charge of attempted murder and alleges he was in a "state of non-insane automatism" at the time having acted "during the onset of somnambulism".
The trial, before Judge John Beckett QC, continues.
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/west-centra ... epwalking/
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