Kinky contract forbids killing wife, says Latex glove husband

Charles Henson, 39, said his estranged wife Allison Phelps, 40, was a "self-proclaimed pain slut" who relished being "flogged, caned and birched".

He is accused of trying to kill her in a jealous rage by triggering her fatal allergy with a latex glove after their brief marriage collapsed.

Bristol Crown Court heard that Henson returned from the US after they had split and broke into Allison's home which she shared with her new partner in a bid to win her back.

He denied that he planned to kill her and said he wanted to continue his life with her and let her new man know how manipulative she was.

Henson claimed he was only wearing latex gloves because he was cold and that he was not allowed to kill his ex-wife under the terms of their master-slave contract.

He told the court: "In the lifestyle that she chose to live, she accepted the majority of punishments.

"If she had done something wrong, she deserved a punishment - often ten lashes. She loved being flogged, caned and birched."

He said their marriage in June 2005 got off to a bad start because she was recovering from a hysterectomy and asked not to be punished so severely.

Henson said: "She said it would take one to two years to recover properly. It was frustrating as I couldn't teach her the master and slave way."

The couple's marriage ended three months later in September with Henson returning to America and Allison starting a new relationship with Michael Phelps.

Henson then returned to the UK and broke into their former marital home in Coalway, Glos., in March 2006, it is claimed.

But he denied this was to kill her with the latex glove as this was "not allowed" in their kinky contract.

"In section four of the contract, it says the master does not have a right to kill the slave," he said.

"If I break bones, cut her, leave scarring or wounds without her consent - that's not allowed."

Henson - who knew Allison had a potentially-fatal allergy to latex - admitted entering her home in the dead of night wearing the latex glove.

But he said he turned the gas on in the house not to kill Allison but to kill himself.

"I wanted to high myself and have my wife find me dead on the living room floor," he said.

Henson was disturbed by Allison's partner Michael Phelps and a struggle ensued in which he was stabbed four times.

He told the court he had wrestled with Allison because she was screaming at him to get out of her house.

Henson then realised he was wearing the latex glove, he told the court and accidentally stabbed Michael Phelps in the leg in "self-defence".

"I said to her 'I hope you have your epipen (anti-allergy injection) handy because I still have latex on'," he told the jury.

"I told her she had four minutes to live but Michael was shouting at me, saying 'I don't care'."

Earlier, the court heard from an allergies expert who said Allison had a "delayed hypersensitive allergy" to latex.

Dr David Pearson said Allison developed sore lips and mouth ulcerations after the latex attack but he did not believe her allergy to be life-threatening.

He added that patients with latex allergies were often lead by NHS doctors to falsely believe their condition could be fatal.

But he said diagnosis was commonly "woeful" and that often allergies were not fatal.

Henson, of Wisconsin, USA, denies the attempted murder of Allison, one count of attempting to administer noxious chemicals and one count of wounding with intent.

A charge of aggravated burglary has been dropped. The trial continues.