The wife of a retired industrialist allegedly taunted her husband before he stabbed her 50 times at their Warwickshire home, a jury has heard.

After demanding a divorce, Lorraine Mack told 82 year-old Kenneth Mack that all of her friends were married to multi-millionaires and that she had had "plenty of offers," Birmingham Crown Crown was told.

Mack has denied murdering his 51-year-old wife on December 13 2006.

James Burbidge QC, prosecuting, said the couple, who lived in a property worth about £1.8 million at Mockley Close, Gentleman’s Lane, Ullenhall, near Henley-in-Arden. They had been married for 21 years and to their friends appeared to be devoted to each other.

However, he said, there were tensions in the marriage which culminated in the early hours of December 13 when Mack carried out the frenzied attack in their kitchen.

Mr Burbidge said Mack then waited for around 12 hours before telling the police what he had done.

When interviewed by police, Mack said that after having a meal his wife had gone to bed but she later came down into the kitchen. He said when he went into the kitchen she appeared to be angry, accused him of opening a bank account in his own name and said she was going to get a divorce, 90 per cent of his pension and all of the house.

"She pointed out that all of her friends were married to multi-millionaires and that she had had plenty of offers," he said.

Mack said he believed their marriage had been quite a happy one and although there had been a problem about getting a property in the Caribbean that had been solved.

He said his wife was strong and fit because she did a lot of walking and went to the gym and that she had then rushed towards him with something in her hand which had a wooden handle and lunged at him, the handle hitting his arm.

Mack said when he realised it was a knife he thought his wife was going to kill him. "I thought she was going to use the knife against me. She was angry and waving her arms. At that point I picked up a knife and pushed it into her. I wished I hadn’t but there you are."

He said he had aimed towards her heart, stabbing her several times "as hard as I could".

Mack added: "I think I was just trying to kill her so she could not kill me. I thought ’My God’ I have done a terrible thing."

He said he realised she was dead and had decided not to phone the police until he had let his two sons know that he had killed their mother.

The trial continues.