Die, you bitch, architect screamed as he smothered wife with cushion

Clive Wille, 56, straddled wife Sue on their bed when she refused to bail out his debts in an argument over a divorce.

As she struggled for breath and vainly tried to fight him off Wille bit her twice before suddenly pulling away and dialling the police.

Wille had admitted making threats to kill in their bedroom in Addiscombe, but the jury found him guilty of attempted murder by a majority of 10-2.

Jurors had been unaware that in 2001 he had tried to strangle his wife on their bed before she fought him off by kneeing him in the groin.

Mrs Wille - who was 19 years his junior - had refused to report it to police at the time and Judge John Roberts ruled the incident was irrelevant to the trial.

Wille, who specialised in railway architecture, had suffered from depression of most of his life and recently come off medication because of its side effects.

The drugs had left him prone to feinting fits which cost him his job and left him unemployed and in desparate financial straits.

He resented the fact that he was penniless while his wife, who had worked for him when they met at 17, was now the sole earner in the house.

On the day of the attack in April this year alcoholic Wille spent the afternoon drinking and rang his wife at work to talk about his money troubles.

"He became furious and was shouting and screaming down the phone and for the rest of the day Mrs Wille was in tears," said Sally Halkerston, prosecuting.

On her return from work she went to bed and was in her nightie when Wille entered the bedroom.

"When she told him she could not pay a penny more and wanted a divorce he became angry and more threatening," the prosecutor added.

"He said: 'I'm going to kill you, bitch' and grabbed a pillow, got on top of her straddling her and forced it over her face using his arm to push it down with quite a ot of force."

Mrs Wille could not breathe properly and was bitten twice as she fought for her life, the court heard.

Eventually Wille relented and rang 999. He said: "I damn near tried to kill my wife and I walked away from it and I need some help."

Police found Mrs Wille still in her nightie on the bed looking very distressed but not seriously hurt.

Wille was arrested and said: "I want to plead guilty to attempted murder."

But in court he changed his story and told the jury that despite what he had shouted he had never wanted to kill her and deeply regretted terrifying her.

The attack was a sudden, violent reaction caused by his depression, money problems and alcoholism, he claimed. He had put the pillow over his wife's face only "to stop her loving me."

He said he become enraged when they had agreed to divorce but then she said: "I can't live without you."

Said Wille: "That was when I attacked her. I was furious with her as she seemed to be playing with my emotions. I wanted her to stop loving me. Then there would be no reconciliation and there would be a divorce."

He was remanded in custody to be sentenced next month.