The wife alleged to have been deliberately stabbed in the back by her pub landlord husband has denied lying in court and wanting his money.

A jury in the retrial of Stephen Bangs, who ran The Pheasant in Ashford, heard today that Yadasuphak Bangs emptied their joint account, maxed out credit cards and sold his jewellery while he was being held on remand following his alleged murder bid.

Bangs, 62, is accused of trying to kill the 41-year-old, known as Joy, while she was washing up at the sink in their flat above the pub on August 18 last year.

Mrs Bangs suffered a deep, 2.5cm long wound to the area of her lower ribs from the kitchen knife but no injury was caused to any internal organs.

Ex-Royal Marine Bangs denies attempted murder, as well as the less serious, alternative offence of wounding with intent.

He claims that having used the knife to scrape food remains on a chopping board into a bin, he then turned and accidentally stabbed his wife after he tripped over a semi-inflated, dog toy ball.

He also says she was mistaken when she allegedly heard him repeatedly tell her "I want to kill you".

Jurors at Canterbury Crown Court were told there had been a previous trial, at which Mrs Bangs had also given evidence, but it did not result in a verdict.

At this latest trial, details of the couple's finances, as well as the fact she sent photos, birthday and anniversary cards to her estranged husband while in prison, were revealed as Mrs Bangs was cross-examined by defence barrister Daniel Cohen.

She agreed she still loved her husband at the time of the correspondence but maintained she had no knowledge of or interest in his financial assets.

Mrs Bangs told the jury the jewellery she sold was items she had previously bought with her own money and cash was used from the joint account to keep up loan repayments.

She also explained that credit card expenses included kennel fees for their dog, Tigger, when she went on a pre-planned trip to Thailand after the alleged attack.

But she denied Mr Cohen's suggestions she had now "lied, exaggerated or changed" her evidence, including her claims her husband bruised her arm by grabbing hold of her in their struggle and hearing him say "I want to kill you" up to five times.

When the barrister asked "are you changing your evidence in this trial because you want to benefit from him being found guilty?", Mrs Bangs replied: "I don't want to get anything. I just want to say everything, the truth, about what happened."

In respect of selling her husband's jewellery, she told the court: "I needed to sell that jewellery because at that time I had no money. The joint account had no money left.

"I don't know how I can continue with my life in the UK without him because he the person who control and manage everything, all the money, every month.

"I had to sell (the jewellery) to give some money to my mum because he know I still had to look after her. That jewellery I paid for with my money before I knew him."

The court heard Mrs Bangs sent her husband cards from herself and their dog on their wedding anniversary in September last year, his birthday the following month, and at Christmas.

She told the jury she did so because she still "loved, worried and cared" for him, and believed he also loved her.

She added she also hoped he would tell her why he had stabbed her.

But when Mr Cohen asked if she loved him at that time "because he had money to give you?", Mrs Bangs replied: "He had no money to give me in that time. He never let me know if he had money left or anywhere. I had no idea."

The barrister continued: "Have you changed your evidence in this trial because you think you might be able to get money out of his investments?"

Mrs Bangs replied: "I have never think that because he has never let me know anything what he has got and I have never asked him."

The jury heard that all the cards and photos were sent to Bangs before his first trial and she had not sent anything since.

Mrs Bangs also told the court that her husband had told her to sell his BMW and "keep the money" but she did not feel "ready" to do that and was using it herself.

As to the alleged murder bid, she refuted Mr Cohen's suggestion that her husband's face as she turned to see him with the knife was "one of concern" rather than anger.

She also maintained her arm bruise was not caused when Bangs stumbled and hit her with the chopping board he was holding in his left hand, or that he had said "I don't want to kill you", as the defence claim.

Asked by prosecutor Laurence Imrie at the end of her evidence whether she had "misunderstood" in panic what was happening, Mrs Bangs told the court: "I understood he wanted to kill me. I had no idea the reason why he wanted to kill me.

"In that time, from his face, he was very angry to me and he shouted in my face and he say 'I want to kill you' about four or five times.

"He was so angry. That scared me and made me think he want to kill me."

The trial continues.