A WIFE poisoned her husband with rat killer and cheated his mother out of £51,000 in three years of crime against her own family, a court heard.

The prosecution allege that Heather Mook, 57, pictured, tried to kill her husband John with anti-depressants or rat poison on six separate occasions.

But Mook, of Heslington Road, York, claims the most she wanted to do was harm him.

Court hears how York woman gave husband rat killer and anti-depressant

SHE claims she only intended to harm her husband when she gave him rat poison.

But the prosecution alleges Heather Mook was trying to kill her spouse, John, and that it was the latest of six bids to kill him.

Mook, 57, denies all six allegations, though she admits trying to harm him with an anti-depressant on four occasions.

Both she and the prosecution agree that she cheated his mother out of more than £51,000 over a three-year period by forgery and by masquerading as her in-law, Freda Mook.

Heather Mook will stand trial on December 3 at York Crown Court.

Altogether Mook, of Heslington Road, York, admitted nine charges of theft and five of deception which together totalled over £51,000, and five forgery charges. Of 12 charges involving poisoning her husband, she admitted five and denied seven.

York Crown Court heard allegations that Mook's crimes began in late 2003.

The prosecution allege that she tried to kill her husband between December 12, 2003 and August 9, 2006 by administering an anti-depressant called amitriptyline to him. She denies two alternative charges of giving him the drug to harm him or kill him by poisoning him during that period.

But she admitted a series of charges including theft, deception and forgery during the same period, all committed against his mother and starting in December 2003.

She stole nine of the other woman's credit balances, and conned others into transferring money to benefit herself on five occasions by pretending that she was Mrs Mook.

She pleaded guilty five times to administering the anti-depressant to Mr Mook; between August 9, 2006, and October 9, 2006, between October 9, 2006 and January 9, 2007, on January 9, 2007 itself, and between January 9, 2007 and January 12, 2007. On each occasion, she admitted trying to injure him or cause him harm.

But she will stand trial because she denied five alternative charges that on each occasion she gave Mr Mook the drug, she was trying to kill him.

She also denies a charge that she tried to kill her husband by giving him difenacoum, which is used to poison rats, between October 9, 2006 and January 12, 2007.

She pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of giving him the rat poison with intent to harm or injure him. Mook admitted that she forged a letter in May 2004 which appeared to have been signed by Mrs Freda Mook and another letter in August 2004 which also gave the appearance of being signed by the mother-in-law. Both letters involved the transfer of investments.

In November 2004, she forged a financial form, again masquerading as her mother-in-law, and in September and November 2006, she forged letters addressed to her husband which falsely claimed to be from a private client advisor and an employee of an investment company.