Spurned wife laced cheating husband's fruitcake with rat poison

Yvonne Godwin, a former hospital cook, wanted to punish him for his affair.

But the mother of five, who had been married for 30 years, only used two teaspoons of the poison – not enough to kill her husband Robert or even seriously harm him.

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More than 3lb would have to be consumed to prove fatal.

But scientists were still able to find clearly visible blobs of the green poison, which can cause internal bleeding, in the fruitcake.

Shown a picture of the cake at Gloucester Crown Court, Judge Martin Picton: "It doesn't look overly appetising, it has to be said, but it's pretty clear."

And he warned Godwin: "Custody will be seriously considered."

Godwin, 56, has admitted the attempted poisoning on dates between February 22 and March 11.

Prosecutor Mary Harley said the Crown was accepting her guilty plea as the quantity of poison was so small it could not cause serious harm.

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Mrs Harley added: "Forensic scientific statements confirm the level of rat poison at nine grams in the whole of the cake."

At an earlier hearing, magistrates were told that Godwin, of Cheltenham, turned to the poison because her husband was having an affair and she wanted to "do him in".

It is believed she knew about his adultery for three years before taking action.

Friends have said the relationship was with a 41-year-old widow from Gloucester, who was one of his wife's close friends.

Godwin had left her job at the Delancey Hospital, in Cheltenham, five years ago after developing cancer.

Gillian Havvock, a neighbour of 35 years, said: "She's always cooking for friends and cooking birthday cakes.

"She is a wonderful cook – she loves her kitchen."

Yesterday, the judge ordered presentence and psychiatric reports on Godwin and remanded her in custody for sentencing next month.

Mr Godwin, however, said police had got it all wrong, adding that his wife had struggled with emotional problems since discovering his affair.

"My wife is a wonderful woman and she never tried to poison me. I had an affair, which I ended three years ago.

"But Yvonne never got over it. She had a nervous breakdown and told the police she had tried to poison me, which never happened.

"This has all been fabricated and I am terrified about what could happen to her."

Mr Godwin said he came home on February 22 to find a cake and no sign of his wife.

The following day, he said, police came to his home and seized the cake.

Mr Godwin added: "I had no idea where Yvonne was and went looking her.

"I later found out she had driven herself to the police station and told them she had tried to hurt herself and me."