'No justification' for love rival stabbing; COURT: Woman accused of murdering boyfriend's 'other woman'.

Byline: Paul Beard 

A WOMAN accused of murdering her love rival had no justification whatsoever for the attack, a court was told.

There was "not one jot of justification" for Karla Biddle going to the home of her boyfriend, Ashley Watson, and attacking Emma Bradshaw with a knife, it was told.

Biddle aged 32 of Aldbury Road, Yardley Wood, has denied murdering Ms Bradshaw, of Clarence Road, Mere Green, Sutton Coldfield.

A jury at Warwick Crown Court has been told that Mr Watson, Biddle's boyfriend since their school days, was also in a relationship with Ms Bradshaw.

On May 14 last year, the day Biddle considered their "anniversary," she went to Mr Watson's home in Berkeley

Road, Solihull, where Ms Bradshaw had spent the night.

Prosecutor Mark Wall QC alleged she waited until Ms Bradshaw was alone in the house, then went in armed with a kitchen knife and stabbed her twice in the abdomen. But Biddle claimed she went there to ask if anything was going on and and claimed Ms Bradshaw came towards her brandishing the knife.

In his closing speech Mr Wall told the jury that it seemed the first week of the trial had been dominated by the evidence of one man - Ashley Watson.

"You heard the way he was treating particularly Karla, but also Emma herself.

We know the effect it was having on Karla from her diaries and what she has said.

"It is much more difficult for you to assess what effect his carrying on had on Emma because she is not here to give her side of the story." He added: "Nothing that Ashley could have done to Karla Biddle, and whatever effect it had, provided her with a jot of justification for going round there and attacking Emma." Mr Wall said a central question was why Biddle went there when Emma was alone. "Her evidence is she went there for information only. She had no more than a suspicion, she said, that Ashley was seeing Emma as anything more than a friend. You will have to decide whether that is right." He added: "The 14th of May was a significant date, Ashley and Karla's anniversary - 15 years together. She told you the fact that she went to Ashley's house and saw Emma on that date was merely coincidental. You have to decide whether you accept that or not." (Proceeding)

CAPTION(S):

Attack: Karla Biddle.