A wife denied in court yesterday that she set her husband up to be murdered by her lover.
Ms Lesley Gault (35), a mother of three, further denied she had "controlled" her husband's movements to enable her lover, fire chief Mr Gordon Graham, to murder him with "maximum efficiency and minimum risk".
Both Ms Gault and Mr Graham (40), Wheatfield, Ballygowan, Co Down, are accused of murdering her husband, Paul, in the Gaults' home in Audley Avenue, Lisburn, in May 2000, just weeks after he had discovered their 2½ year affair.
Mr Gault was battered to death with a hockey stick in the bedroom of his home which was then allegedly ransacked to make it appear he was the victim of a burglary gone wrong.
As her cross-examination began at Belfast Crown Court, Ms Gault agreed that she was "astonished - astounded" to find herself accused of the murder of her husband.
However, Mr Paul Ramsey QC, prosecuting, suggested the reason she felt like this was "not because you are innocent, it is because this was something that wasn't supposed to happen".
Ms Gault said she understood his suggestion, but told him he was incorrect.
Mr Ramsey set out the prosecution's case, that she participated in the murder, telling her: "That the information you provided was critical and crucial and that you controlled his [Mr Gault's] movements on the morning of the murder so that Gordon Graham could carry out the murder with the maximum efficiency and minimum risk".
The lawyer then claimed that their "game plan" was for Ms Gault to busy herself with "commonplace humdrum things" while Mr Graham killed her husband, having already prepared his own alibi.
Rejecting the claim, Ms Gault told the court: "I understand, but I disagree. I had no participation in my husband's murder".
Later, Ms Gault rejected the suggestion she was a "devious person", although she agreed that behind her husband's back she had continued calling and meeting Mr Graham after their affair was uncovered.
She also agreed that in the 18 days before the murder, a total of 83 calls were made or attempted contact was made between her and Mr Graham, 65 of which were made by her.
Ms Gault claimed that by that time, the affair was in ruins but that she still needed to talk to Mr Graham, adding: "I couldn't just not speak to him - he was hurting and I was hurting."
The trial continues.