Court told Colchester man accused of murdering wife 'suspected she was cheating'
Ertan Ersoy denies murder but has pleaded guilty to manslaughter
A man accused of murdering his university lecturer wife by stabbing her to death said he suspected she was cheating on him, a court has heard.
Ertan Ersoy had previously told a man, who, like him, was Turkish and living in Colchester in Essex, about his "difficulties with his wife".
Mahmut Bektas told Chelmsford Crown Court he did not know anyone in the area after arriving from Turkey in 2021 and was given Ersoy's contact information by an agency in London in 2021.
Mr Bektas, describing an occasion when he met Ersoy in 2021, said: "He mentioned his difficulties with his wife.
"He said that he's finding it difficult and their relationship is very tense."
Prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC asked Mr Bektas if Ersoy, 51, had raised any suspicions about his 52-year-old wife, Dr Antonella Castelvedere.
"He did mention he's suspecting his wife might be cheating on him," said Mr Bektas, who was assisted in court by a Turkish interpreter.
He said that, during their meeting, the defendant was "mainly" talking about his issues with his wife.
"I was telling him 'Look, I'm a therapist. Do you want to speak with me in my professional capacity as a therapist?' - because my understanding is he was seeking my help - 'Or do you just want my help as a friend?'"
He said Ersoy told him Dr Castelvedere was "constantly thinking about her previous relationships".
"He was being cross and angry to this," said Mr Bektas.
"'Why she's married with me, she's still keeping these old letters or anything to do with the previous relationships?'"
Mr Bektas said Ersoy told him he "checked her emails" and "there was an individual from a previous relationship talking about he cannot forget about her".
Mr Bektas said the defendant also "said a couple of times Antonella hit him".
Asked by Mr Paxton if Ersoy had said how she hit him, Mr Bektas replied: "I'm not quite sure, but I think he mentioned about throwing some items at him."
He said he met Dr Castelvedere in March 2022 and she said she was "not happy".
"As a question I asked her 'Do you love him or not?' and she said 'Yes, I do, but I'm unhappy'," said Mr Bektas.
He said Ersoy later asked about their meeting, and Mr Bektas told him they "both need to see a therapist and you can have couple's therapy as well or you can select for one-to-one therapy".
Dr Castelvedere wrote to Mr Bektas on May 31, in a message read to the court by the prosecutor.
She said: "Ertan has fallen back into a dark state of mind and I fear for my safety."
In his reply, Mr Bektas said he had offered to put Ersoy in touch with a psychotherapist and he "hoped this time he will start to take professional help".
Dr Castelvedere was found stabbed to death on the kitchen floor of the couple's home in Colchester on June 1 last year.
Dr Castelvedere was a lecturer at the University of Suffolk, teaching an MA course in English and creative writing, and Ersoy also worked as a lecturer.
Ersoy denies murder but has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
The trial continues.