Driving examiner denies killing wife by crashing car
A father-of-two accused of murdering his wife by deliberately crashing his car on the M1 has told a court she "meant the world" to him.
Ian Walters, 51, is accused of steering his vehicle off the road at about 80mph, in Leicestershire, to kill his wife Tracy.
The Swindon couple were returning from a Yorkshire holiday described as make or break, Leicester Crown Court heard.
Mr Walters denies murder and described his wife as a "big ray of hope".
The driving examiner, who retrained after taking redundancy from Barclays Bank, met Mrs Walters in 2011.
The pair, who both had children from previous relationships, moved in together within a few months and were married in Cyprus the following year.
Asked what he felt about her, he said: "She was my world, I couldn't believe that she was interested in me, couldn't believe the attention she was showing me.
"It was absolutely wonderful after a very hard time dealing with my first marriage break-up."
The prosecution alleges he killed his wife after a series of rows caused by his unreasonable sexual demands.
He told the court they had a "dramatic and adventurous" sex life but often argued because of poor communication.
But he admitted he had caused physical injury by trying to stop her from leaving a room during a row, instead hoping she would stay to sort out their problems.
The incident caused bruising to her upper arms the court was told.
The jury also heard about Mr Walters' difficulty sleeping and the drugs he had been prescribed to help and it was alleged he used sex as a way of helping him sleep.
He told the court he had fallen asleep while driving on two previous occasions but that nobody had been hurt in either incident.
They had been part of the reason he decided to leave his job as a senior credit compliance manager, he said.
The case continues.