Court told boy 'made mistake' over quarrel

A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD boy told the Old Bailey yesterday that he 'might have dreamt' of looking through a hole in his bedroom wall and seeing a struggle leading to the death of his mother, writes John Arlidge.

John Howe, cross-examined via a video link, said that he must have 'made a mistake' when he told the court on Tuesday that he saw his parents quarreling before his father lifted his mother on to their bed, where she lay with her mouth open.

He was recalled to give evidence after his uncle and guardian, James Howe, bet him that he 'could not see what he said he saw'. After Tuesday's hearing, the court was told, the pair went to John's family home in Walthamstow, east London, and conducted an experiment which 'proved' that John could not have seen into his parents' bedroom through an airing cupboard. James Howe, 48, 'won' the 50p bet.

Brian Howe, 44, a self-employed mechanic, denies murdering his wife, Brenda, 42, last December. Her body was found in a lake in Epping Forest.

The trial continues today.