Councillor guilty of trying to murder wife

Darren Brown stabbed his wife Corinne three times in their home in July last year

A former councillor has been found guilty of trying to stab his wife to death after attacking her in their home.

Darren Brown, 35, of Wildmill, Bridgend, admitted grievous bodily harm with intent, but denied attempted murder.

Cardiff Crown Court heard the former Bridgend town councillor stabbed Corinne Brown, 33, in the back and side as she leant over a cot to comfort her crying child .

He stabbed her three times with a kitchen knife at their home on 10 July last year after a row about the ending of their 16-year relationship six weeks before the attack and Mrs Brown's new boyfriend.

Brown will be sentenced on 15 November at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court and Mrs Brown sobbed in her new partner's arms as the verdict was read out.

Brown was an independent member of Bridgend Town Council until he resigned as the member for the Morfa ward in September, two months after attacking his wife.

At the time of the stabbing, Brown and his wife were living together but sleeping in separate bedrooms.

Mrs Brown "fell out of love with him," she told the court, adding that the spark in their marriage had gone and her husband was spending increasing amounts of time working, both in his council role and trying to secure a promotion at his Amazon job.

Brown stood trial at Cardiff Crown Court where a jury found him guilty of attempted murder

On the day of the attack, the pair had been arguing, waking the baby, and it was as Mrs Brown went to soothe her child that she was first stabbed.

She crawled to the bathroom and locked the door, but Brown broke in and stabbed her again.

At one point he tried to give the knife to her, telling her "we can go together".

Mrs Brown suffered a punctured lung and cuts to her hand and spent five days in hospital.

During the trial, Kevin Seal, defending Brown, said his client was a "hard working family man who had never ever laid a finger on [Corinne]... until that night".

Mr Seal said Brown was "distraught" and "clinging on to the wreckage of the marriage, kids and freedom".

The weekend before she was stabbed, Mrs Brown had travelled to Southend-on-Sea to meet 50-year-old chef Elliot Gore for the first time after meeting on social media.

Judge Jenkins told Brown he should expect a substantial prison term.