A police inspector strangled his detective wife after she confronted him over mounting debts, a court has heard.
Chester Crown Court heard Darren McKie murdered his wife Leanne on the day she discovered he had made an application for a £54,000 loan in her name.
Mrs McKie’s body was found in Poynton Lake in Cheshire on 29 September.
Jurors heard the couple, who worked for Greater Manchester Police and had three children, had debts of £103,000 and had been “living well beyond their means”.
Nigel Power QC, prosecuting, said Mrs McKie, 39, was found in “shallow water, but she hadn’t drowned. She had been strangled”.
Mr McKie, 43, denies murder and manslaughter.
The court heard that 15 loan applications had been made in Mr McKie and his wife’s name on September 22 – a week before her death.
Mr Power said: “The prosecution say all those applications were made by Mr McKie, made by him without his wife’s knowledge.”
The court was told that on the morning of her death, Mrs McKie sent her husband a text which read: “You liar. Just got back a loan application with my passport and my name. Wtf.”
She sent a second message, saying: “I asked you and you promised. Fluent Finance? Who are they? Are we in such a mess? Why again? The kids need clothes and shoes what’s going on?”
The court heard he told her “please stop doubting me” and “there is nothing to worry about” in replies.
The prosecutor told jurors that in August 2017 the couple were in debt worth at least £103,000.
Source: bbc.co.uk
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