Amnesia claim mum is cleared

A SCHOOL nurse who stabbed her estranged husband when he said he had her dogs put down has been cleared of attempted murder after a court heard she had amnesia.

- BY ANDREW YOUNG

Claire Bridger, 64, knifed car dealer Keith in his chest and abdomen last July 17 after he revealed to her he had the two dachshunds put to sleep.

Describing her reaction, Bridger told a jury: "I had anxiety building inside me. It was like an explosion in my head."

Her lawyer Tim Hunter said a psychiatric assessment found "a combination of alcohol and extreme emotional arousal" could have caused her amnesia.

Norwich crown court heard Mr Bridger had told the mum-of-two he was leaving her after 30 years in April last year. Both moved out of the home they had shared in Taverham, Norfolk, with Bridger moving in with relatives and handing the dogs to him.