Murder accused says his wife died after a 'joke'

A MURDER accused said his wife died after he pushed her in the bath "for a joke" and she fell and bumped her head, a jury was told yesterday.

Yahya Babiker walked into a psychiatric hospital and told a mental health nurse that his wife had died the day before, the High Court in Perth was told.

The murder trial also heard that Babiker, from Sudan, hailed a taxi in the middle of the night and asked the driver to take him to Edinburgh Airport.

When he got to the airport he tried to buy a 565 one-way ticket to Paris but failed to do so because two of his credit cards were rejected, the court heard.

Sometime later, Babiker turned up at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital with a large suitcase and was seen briefly by mental health assessment nurse Kevin Darge, 40.

Mr Darge said: "He was clearly upset at that time. He told me that his wife had died. He told me he had pushed her, and he said that this was for a joke and that she had fallen and banged her head and was dead.

"I excused myself and made it clear I was going to contact the police."

Babiker, 45, a prisoner at HMP Edinburgh, denies murdering Randa Kamblawi, 34, by repeatedly hitting her with a claw hammer at her home at Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, on 19 or 20 October last year.

He has also denied further charges of washing blood from various surfaces in the house, disposing of the murder weapon at an unknown location, dumping her body in the bath, failing to report her death, hampering a probe into the murder by going to Edinburgh Airport and trying to buy a one-way ticket to Paris, and hiding out in London.

The trial, before Lady Stacey, continues.