A PSYCHIATRIST has maintained that a man accused of murdering his wife at their home in Pontypool may not have been suffering from depression at the time.

David Maggs, 71, is on trial at Cardiff Crown Court, accused of murdering his wife Linda, 74, at their home in Sebastopol in February last year.

The defendant denies her murder but has pleaded guilty to manslaughter by grounds of diminished responsibility, specifically that he was suffering from depression at the time.

Sarah Jones, defending, cross-examined expert witness and psychiatrist Dr Thomas Wynne, who assessed Mr Maggs and investigated his medical history, for a second day.

Ms Jones told the court that the newest International Classification of Diseases guidance described single episode depressive disorder as characterised by a period of depressive mood or diminished interest for activities.

“Given what we have been through are you seriously saying that in your view it isn’t at least clear that Mr Maggs was experience a single episode depressive disorder?” she asked the witness.

“Has he got a depressive mood? The evidence from [the defendant's sister] from the day before doesn’t suggest so,” said Dr Wynne.

“Was he enjoying activity? He said he was enjoying a Netflix series.

“It’s not definite he was depressed. We don’t think we have enough information.

“I’m not denying he was depressed earlier in the year, in 2020, but we don’t know about at the time [of the offence].

“I am not denying it’s a possibility, but we can’t be sure.”

Ms Jones asked: “For a man who had hitherto never been in trouble with the police before – quite the opposite indeed – for him to be discussing stabbing his wife, does that not suggest substantial impairment?”

“I wasn’t convinced there was an impairment due to mental disorder on the day of the offence,” said Dr Wynne.

Ms Jones asked whether Mr Maggs’ divorce, during which he and his wife were living in the house but not talking and were sleeping in separate bedrooms, as well as the pandemic, and Mr Maggs’ previous mental health issues, would lead to Dr Wynne sectioning him at the time he killed his wife.

“It depends on his symptoms at the time,” Dr Wynne said.

Prosecutor Dean Pulling said that Mr Maggs’ sister was “involved with him daily” and on the night before he murdered his wife, had reported that he had been enjoying a “feel-good film”.

“Would you have sectioned him?” he asked Dr Wynne.

“There was no evidence,” Dr Wynne said.

Mr Pulling described how Mr Maggs’ sister had spent the day with him, and he had gone for his Covid jab and they had gone to the shops. She had described him as "buoyant" the night before Mrs Maggs died.

The trial before Judge Michael Fitton QC continues.